target business analysis - workforce investment board

PHASE 2:

TARGET BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Submitted by Market Street Services Inc.

www.marketstreetservices.com

May 2012

Target Business Analysis

June 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS Project Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Economic Development Targeting ................................................................................................................................. 3

Methodology and Approach ............................................................................................................................................. 4

Joplin Region Targets Overview ....................................................................................................................... 5

Recommended Targets ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

Non-Targeted Sectors .......................................................................................................................................................... 6

Workforce Considerations .................................................................................................................................................. 7

Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................... 9

Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

People ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Prosperity ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 20

Place .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Warehousing and Distribution ........................................................................................................................ 33

Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 33

People ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

Prosperity ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 38

Place .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 41

Diversified Professional Services .................................................................................................................... 45

Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 45

People ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 48

Prosperity ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 52

Place .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 54

Opportunity Area .............................................................................................................................................. 58

Tourism and Arts Overview ...................................................................................................................................................... 58

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 61

APPENDIX A: Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 63

Geography ............................................................................................................................................................................. 63


June 2012

Data Sources ......................................................................................................................................................................... 63

Wage Discrepancies ........................................................................................................................................................... 64

Analysis Tools ....................................................................................................................................................................... 65

APPENDIX B: Data Tables ................................................................................................................................ 67


Page 1 — June 2012

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Joplin Region has endured significant challenges in the past year—as it began to surface slowly from

the national recession that crippled most U.S. metros and regions, its principal city was slammed by an EF-5

tornado in late May 2011. A year after this disaster, the cities of Joplin and Duquesne are emerging

successfully from initial recovery efforts. Leaders want to ensure that as local rebuilding takes place over

the next several years, that economic development actions moving forward are regional in scope and

pursue efforts in the seven-county, three-state Joplin Region comprised of Barton, Jasper, and Newton in

Missouri; Crawford, Cherokee, and Labette in Kansas; and Ottawa in Oklahoma.

As part of that process, the Joplin Regional Prosperity Initiative (JRPI) has recognized the need for a

comprehensive regional strategy to tie together current efforts, identify visionary, aggressive new

initiatives, and provide the framework needed to increase the economic competitiveness and livability of

the region. To that end, the JRPI has retained Market Street Services, a community and economic

development consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, to help coordinate the development of a long-

range strategy for the region.

The Joplin Region must be established and sustained as a competitive location for talent and businesses.

Now, more than ever, the region must become more competitive by charting its own course, working as a

team, and leveraging every possible asset at its disposal. The significantly altered competitive landscape

wrought by the recession and natural disaster has shown that the best-laid plans of just a few years ago are

not sufficient anymore.

The Joplin Regional Economic Development Strategy process is comprised of four phases over eight

months. The outcome of this process, led by a committed steering committee of public and private sector

leaders from across the region, is an actionable five-year blueprint for strengthening the region’s existing

assets, addressing historic and emerging challenges, and leveraging future opportunities that increase the

overall prosperity and quality of experience for all of the Joplin Region’s citizens, workers, and businesses.

Phase I—Competitive Snapshot and Stakeholder Input: The Competitive Snapshot report provided a

thorough “environmental scan” of the region’s competitive position. The seven-county region was

benchmarked against the state of Missouri, the nation, and three comparison communities—Anderson,

South Carolina; Evansville, Indiana-Kentucky; and Jonesboro, Arkansas. The Snapshot also highlighted

future challenges and opportunities for the area to provide improved access to prosperity and quality of

life for all residents.

An important component of this phase, and the entire process, was outreach to core stakeholders to fully

understand the advantages, challenges, and long-term vision of the region. Approximately 1,300 business

owners, community leaders, young professionals, and other residents participated in focus groups, one-on-

one interviews, and an online survey. The Competitive Snapshot report combined quantitative data analysis

and the qualitative findings gathered during the Stakeholder Input period.



Phase II—Target Business Analysis: The Target Business Analysis draws from the initial research and

stakeholder input gathered during Phase I and provides a fresh look at the region’s economy, given the

significant changes that have occurred since the Great Recession. Target business sector recommendations

focus on the continuing strengths of business sectors already given focus in the region and explore

potential, emerging sectors to be considered.

Phase III—Regional Economic Development Strategy: The Strategy will be the means by which the

seven-county region will build upon its existing accomplishments to chart a fresh and new path for

continued success over the next five years.

What are the strategies to renew and reform the region’s trajectory of quality development and growth?

What capacities and resources are necessary to strengthen the region’s competitive position in today’s

economic landscape? What successful programs and efforts are already underway? The Regional Economic

Development Strategy seeks to answer these questions with new approaches and proven best practices to

address future challenges and maximize opportunities facing the region, while focusing on areas that

contribute to sustaining and growing the community.

The Strategy will include programs that are innovative in addressing the new economic realities and needs

of businesses, enabling the region to compete in the near and long term future. It will contain goals,

objectives, and actions to make the region a distinctive community in its four-state area and the country.

Phase IV—Implementation Plan: The Implementation Plan will provide a review and assessment of

existing and new programs, budget estimates, and organizational structure to carry out the Joplin Regional

Economic Development Strategy. A clear first-year plan will be presented along with priorities for

immediate action. The second- to fifth-year timetable will also be prepared with specific actions and

budgets. New activity measures and outcomes will also be included.



INTRODUCTION Through the economic development strategic planning process, the Joplin Region is determined to assess

its new economic realities and use this opportunity to consider anew their fundamental assets and

advantages that will best prepare them to confront an ever-changing economic landscape. As global and

national trends become increasingly influential at the local level, it is critical for the region to take stock of

its competitive position within sectors for employment and business growth and to understand where

further development is necessary.

This Target Business Analysis will evaluate the current position of potential target business sectors in the

seven-county Joplin Region and provide recommendations for priority opportunities moving forward. The

purpose of this report is to identify and examine those industries with the greatest potential to create new

jobs and wealth in the region. Economic development resources and efforts should be focused on these

targets to stabilize, grow, and diversify the regional economy. The strategic implications of these targets

will be further developed in Phase III of this process, the Joplin Regional Economic Development Strategy.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TARGETING

Before defining the region’s targets for business attraction, retention and expansion, entrepreneurship and

innovation, and workforce development, an understanding of the concept of economic development

targeting must be established. The strategy of targeting certain sectors of economic activity has become

increasingly common over the years as communities attempt to leverage their competitive advantages and

focus investments on the areas that will generate the greatest return through jobs created, wages

generated, and dollars invested.

Many economic regions strategically target sectors of economic activity that may not currently be

characterized by a strong conglomeration—or “cluster”—of related businesses. A targeted sector—or

simply, a “target”—is an area where financial and staff resources, and the programs and policies they

support, are specifically focused. A target is any type of business activity that is tactically pursued by an

economic development organization and its partners for further growth and development. A target can be

a single business sector with high growth potential or a critical mass of businesses and support resources

in related sectors. Targets are ideally those areas of an economy where competitive advantages already

exist, outlook for future growth is favorable, and potential return on investment is highest.

Limited resources for economic development programs and the stark realities of today’s economic climate

make it critical that the Joplin Region focus on those sectors of economic activity that have the greatest

potential to create new jobs, retain existing jobs, spur innovation, and raise incomes within the seven-

county region. This Target Business Analysis will identify those sectors of economic activity within the

region that should be given strategic focus by proactive economic development programs and policies in

the years to come.



METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

There are many methods used to identify economic development targets; however, many are based on

incomplete or strictly industry-focused methodologies. This methodology ignores a variety of important

issues from workforce attributes to educational assets to geographic advantages, all of which are vital to

businesses. Market Street’s research approach begins with an examination of the attributes of the region’s

workforce—the occupations and types of knowledge that support the region’s business activities—as

opposed to beginning with an examination of the region’s business sector dynamics. This is a “bottom up”

approach which stands in contrast to the traditional “top down” approach long utilized in target/cluster

analysis.

Our approach does not strictly define clusters based on North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS) employment codes or Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes. However, these codes are

used to help quantify important trends and activity within each cluster. Tables are included throughout this

document that include employment and wage information for various NAICS and SOC codes related to

each target, but these codes should not be interpreted as rigid definitions of the composition of economic

activity within each target. This research deliverable positions target clusters as focus areas for economic

development efforts in order to retain and create jobs, bring greater economic diversity to the region, and

spur innovation. These concepts cannot be captured by utilizing employment and occupational data alone.

Due to significant data suppression issues, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce graciously provided

employment data from the Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI). The methodology appendix

(Appendix A) at the end of this report provides a detailed overview of the research sources and analysis

used to assess the region’s targets.



JOPLIN REGION TARGETS OVERVIEW Market Street Services has identified three strategic targets for the Joplin Region to pursue in the years to

come. These three targets, which have been refined based on strategic characteristics: historic strengths,

the presence of strong competitive advantages in the region, and the opportunity to transfer

breakthroughs in research and higher education institutions into the regional economy, have been divided

into nine specific target niches that provide opportunities for regional growth and wealth-building.

Prior to presenting these targets to the JRPI Steering Committee, the Market Street team discussed the

recommended targets and niches with JRPI staff and partners. Ultimately, the Steering Committee will

review and approve the targets for pursuit in the Joplin Regional Economic Development Strategy.

The Target Business Analysis proceeds with a profile and examination of each recommended target

“grouping” and references to its specific niches. As in the Competitive Snapshot, the analysis is presented

according to the three core areas of competitiveness:

People: Occupational base and education resources

Prosperity: Business sector trends

Place: Location assets and infrastructure competitiveness

RECOMMENDED TARGETS

While each target examined in these competitive areas will have specific challenges and opportunities and

varied programs to support their development, all nine target niches are equally important to the future of

the region. The proposed targets and niches are:



Those target niches that benefit from specific, localized advantages and have therefore can leverage these

advantages are referred to as “Existing Strengths.” The existing strengths represent target niches where a

critical mass of activity and strong past targeting efforts have existed in the region.

Target niches that are growing in the region and embracing innovative applications that ensure long-term

sustainability and potential for wage growth are denoted as “Emerging Areas.” Emerging areas are those

niches that are supported by resources, skills, and existing businesses in the region but for which the

region has not yet developed a critical mass or competitive edge.

Those target niches that do not currently exhibit a critical mass or competitive advantage but merit

strategic targeting due to their growth and diversification potential are identified as “Transfer

Opportunities.” Transfer opportunities can leverage existing resources—primarily from the region’s higher

education institutions—to transfer existing resources and innovations into gaps the region has yet to fill in

order to further diversify and be more nationally and globally competitive.

In addition to these target areas, the opportunity area of Tourism and Arts has been identified for the

region. This is not a formal target, but the importance of improving and marketing the appearance,

amenities, and overall quality of life in the region’s communities strengthens targeting efforts in principle

sectors by working to make the region attractive to a growing and diversifying range of talent and firms.

It should be noted that the proposed targets are not identified for the purpose of business attraction and

relocation alone, but for all three “legs of the stool” of economic development, which also include existing

business retention and attraction and small business and entrepreneur development. In addition, workforce

development and talent attraction and retention efforts are critical to the success of these targets.

NON-TARGETED SECTORS

The selection of the Joplin Region’s target business areas incorporated a number of factors. Importantly,

the identification of targets also assessed the highest value-added benefit related to prioritized

investments in target development. Three key local business categories rated very highly by online survey

respondents during the development of the Competitive Snapshot phase were determined to be vital to

the regional economy, but not at the level of a targeted opportunity.

Health Care: The region’s health care assets were mentioned again and again by stakeholder input

participants as one of the region’s key strengths. Every county in the region benefits from the presence of

at least one major hospital, and access to specialists and outpatient services is relatively high in the region.

However, aging and declining populations in many counties pose a threat to the long-term sustainability

and growth of this sector. In addition, concerning trends uncovered in the Competitive Snapshot such as

high shares of the population not covered by health insurance, poor health outcomes, and high rates of

poverty further threaten the bottom line of health care providers. Emphases on other sectors by targeting

key industries that provide higher wages (and benefits) and better security for their workers, raising the

overall prosperity and health outcomes of the region, are the critical economic development activities that

will support and induce growth the region’s health care providers and support services.



Educational Services: Higher educational institutions—specifically, Missouri Southern State University and

Pittsburg State University—employ a large portion of the region’s workforce. The schools continue to grow

in enrollment and program offerings. However, the region’s successful colleges and universities are public

sector entities, strong partners in economic development efforts but not target industries. Higher

education is at the mercy of increasingly unstable state budgets and must continue to assess other means

of revenue such as raising tuition rates. Certainly, regional economic development professionals must work

in lockstep with higher education officials to ensure that colleges and universities have the resources

necessary to grow and develop students with competitive skills and knowledge, prepared for the demands

of an ever-changing workplace. Strategic effort must also be given to linking new postsecondary graduates

with opportunities in the region and advancing this young workforce up the career ladder.

Agriculture: The Agriculture sector is one of the traditional lynchpins of the regional economy. Agriculture

pays lower-than-average wages and offers little chance for advancement. While the region does have a

visible presence of agriculture employment, Market Street does not recommend that economic

development professionals target this industry as a strategic priority for the whole region. Rather,

economic development professionals at the local level should identify ways to link agricultural business

leaders with growth opportunities in the region’s proposed targets, such as Renewable and Alternative

Energy.

WORKFORCE CONSIDERATIONS

As economic growth occurs when qualified workers are available to fill jobs that grow the region’s wage

base and overall prosperity, many regions have focused energy on attracting, training, and retaining

workers. Many communities in the U.S. are threatened by the “chicken and the egg” question of workers

and jobs: Which come first to build regional prosperity, workers or jobs?

The Competitive Snapshot identified a number of conditions that indicate increased economic activity and

jobs are needed within the Joplin Region. These include:

Declining population in four out of seven counties, and an overall regional growth rate that lags

the nation

Smaller share of 25–44 year olds to advance in regional careers, compared to the national share

Larger proportion—relative to the U.S.—of 0–19 year olds and growing K–12 enrollments of

students who will need to be engaged in the workforce as they complete high school, training,

and/or college

Educational attainment and outcomes are expanding, but still need significant improvements in

order to develop the workforce needed for 21st century jobs

o Some strong vocational technical and career education programs in a few K–12 school

systems, but not across the entire region

o Higher share of adults with some college but no degree, indicating completion challenges

o Strong growth in associate’s degree attainment and continued increases in bachelor’s and

graduate/professional degree conferrals

o Decline in share of adults with no high school diploma



Comparatively low per capita income

Non-competitive wages for workers, posing talent recruitment and retention weaknesses

Growing pipeline of regional graduates from Missouri Southern State University and Pittsburg

State University as well as two-year community colleges

Low cost of living for workers, although it may not fully compensate for the low average wages in

the region

Lack of quality housing for middle-income and young professional workers posing a challenge for

attracting and retaining the labor force needed to grow middle-class opportunities

Consensus across the region around the need for greater economic opportunities in the near- and

long-term for its children, young professionals, and established workforce

In order to be successful at targeting and developing businesses in the sectors examined in this Target

Business Analysis, it will be necessary for the seven-county region’s economic development professionals

and partners to focus equal attention on the workforce challenges and positive trends that will impact the

region’s opportunities for increased prosperity and growth. Without serious work to reverse some of the

most alarming trends, the Joplin Region will not be able to be competitive for the types of jobs and

workers it wants to retain and attract.

In addition, simply having the amenities, infrastructure, incentives, or basic demographics needed to target

and support economic activity is not sufficient for success in economic development. Robust relationships

must be nurtured and supported between students and career exploration; between workers and support

services, training programs, and postsecondary education; and between the region’s employers and

educational institutions and training providers in order for substantial progress to be made in the long-

term on the region’s target sectors and overall regional economic strength.

These concepts will be further explored in the upcoming Joplin Regional Economic Development Strategy,

the third phase of this process.



MANUFACTURING

Overview The Manufacturing target includes the niches of Equipment and

Components, Specialty Food Production and Packaging, Advanced

Materials and Composites, and Renewable and Alternative Energy. Over

one-fifth of the region’s active workforce is employed in this sector.

The Manufacturing sector is broad and inclusive of any type of

production and assembly of raw or finished inputs into parts and

products. The Joplin Region has sought to recruit and retain a wide

range of manufacturing operations for several decades; however, there

are a few key specialty areas within the larger manufacturing sector in

which the region demonstrates existing competitive depth or great

potential for future opportunities.

Manufacturing jobs can increase the prosperity of a regional economy because it is an export, or traded,

sector—that is to say, the products and goods made in the regional area are sold to businesses and

consumers outside of the region, bringing more wealth to the regional economy. These dollars cycle across

the region’s economy as manufacturing workers spend their wages on retail and other goods, housing, and

services in the area.

The link between Manufacturing and the region’s other targets shows the importance of retention,

development, and expansion of the supply chain of producers, distributions and consumers. Equipment

and Components operations in the region produce products that may be purchased and used in the

Renewables and Alternative Energy niche, marketed or sold within the Diversified Professional Services

target, and then stored locally and distributed by freight truck. There are great opportunities for firms in

these target areas to further establish and develop strong partnerships with other businesses throughout

the region.

Justifications

The region has a long history in the manufacture of furniture, plastics, machinery, and construction

materials. Manufacturing has been a historic strength in the region, accounting for roughly 12

percent of its total employment, based on the ESMI data used in this report. .

Stakeholder input participants noted the quality heavy steel, metal fabrication, and plastics

manufacturing in the region. Some also pointed out that Kansas is second in the nation for wind

potential, positioning the region well for a role in the nation’s wind energy supply chain.



Input participants also felt that the region’s location and transportation network have benefited

manufacturing. “You can ship parts and pieces to or from anywhere in the U.S.,” remarked one focus

group attendee.

Resources include training and degree programs at Kansas Technology Center at Pittsburg State,

Missouri Southern State University, Northeast Technology Center’s Afton campus, and Franklin

Technology Center and other K–12 vocational technology schools within the region.

Advanced Materials and Composites and Renewable and Alternative Energy benefit from the rich

agricultural strengths of the region. Commodities produced in the region are corn, soybean, wheat,

grain sorghum, and cattle.

Major employers include La-Z Boy Midwest, a producer of residential, hospitality, health care, and

assisted living furniture as well as plastics material, resin, and urethane (1,150 employees); Thorco

Industries, which manufactures products such as store fixtures from wire, sheet metal, and tubing

(650 employees); Cardinal Scale Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of weighing systems of

asphalt, stone, and concrete as well as health care, food service, and postal and shipping scales (500

employees); Power Flame Inc., a heating equipment manufacturer (250 employees); Ruskin

Company, which manufactures environmental control equipment and fabricated structural metals

(250 employees); and Cyclo-Index, which specializes in mechanical motion control equipment (250

employees).

The region benefits from resources that include industrial parks with room for companies that

require specifications needed for Specialty Food Production and Packaging, access to rail networks,

and proximity to major markets.

State-level industry targets of Alternative Energy and Advanced Manufacturing in Kansas and

Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Solutions in Missouri align with this regional target and its

niches. Oklahoma’s key industries of Energy, Technology, and Manufacturing also complement the

regional target niches.

Findings and Strategic Implications

Manufacturing occupations in the region have higher than average concentrations. Specialty Food

Production and Packaging employment is especially concentrated in the region, with six occupations

in this target over double the national concentration.

The presence of the Joplin Regional Stockyard and the significant number of Certified Angus

beef cattle farms in the region drives the potential for specialty slaughtering and meatpacking

operations.

Over 3,800 jobs in the region are related to Specialty Food Production and Packaging. An

indication of the region’s existing strength in this area, 15 of the 18 occupations for which

data are available have location quotients greater than 1.00, signifying the expertise of

workers within the seven-county region.



In the majority of occupations in this sector, wages still lag behind the national median and the

regional median wage.

Emphasis in the niches in this target must be in building a base of higher-paying jobs. This

may require up-skilling the workforce or focusing on retention of graduates from the region’s

high school career and technical and postsecondary education programs.

The region is the home of the Missouri Center for Advanced Power Systems (MOCAP), Leggett &

Platt’s IDEA (Innovation, Design, Engineering, Acceleration) Center, the Kansas Polymer Research

Center, and the Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Technology Center (MARET).

These valuable research institutions are important resources to leverage in making the region

a force in consumer goods innovation, bio-based polymer research and development,

renewable and alternative energy components, and energy storage products.

The region has an important opportunity to leverage its state-of-the-art corporate and

academic resources to become a leader in Advanced Materials and Composites, which

includes materials that are engineered for uses such as construction innovation, energy

storage, energy generation mechanisms, aerospace, and bioscience applications. The region

already has historic strengths in plastics, rubbers, thermoform and laminate materials, and

other composites including innovative construction materials.

Data point to the opportunity to attract and—more importantly—create higher wage jobs in the

region through the Alternative and Renewable Energy niche. Business sectors that are likely to grow

as a result of focusing resources on this transfer opportunity are architectural and engineering

services, computer systems design and related services, management and technical consulting

services, scientific research and development services, which all provide wages above the regional

average.

Target Profile

Equipment and Components is a historic strength in the Joplin Region. Equipment and component

manufacturing may include energy storage devices, wire and wiring devices, products or parts that are

manufactured by one company and sold under another purchasing company's brand name, and other

small and major electrical appliances and parts. This niche requires precision manufacturing and highly

technical processes through computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools administered by a skilled

machinist.

Fabricated wire manufacturers in the region include Haywire Inc, in Joplin, which manufactures automotive

wiring systems; Celltron, in Galena, makes custom cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, and

electromechanical sub-assemblies for the aerospace, defense, commercial, and semi-conductor industries;

Midcon Cables company which produces organized flat-flex wiring and molded cable assemblies and

harnesses; and Quality Interconnect Systems, in Galena, which manufactures harness wire and cable

assemblies for telecommunications applications; Thorco Industries, in Lamar, which produces wire

displaces, wire grids, and customized retail store fixtures and displays.



Specialty Food Production and Packaging involves the production, packaging, and distribution of food

and beverages as well as animal food and feed. Processing raw goods and agricultural inputs into

consumer products and packaging the product for distribution and sale are the core processes of this

target niche. This niche includes large production as well as small-scale and local operations. The region’s

strength in agriculture, especially value-added agriculture, is also favorable in the processing of foods that

require commodities harvested and produced locally such as soybeans, dairy, and corn.

As in most manufacturing sectors, food processing and packaging operations are undergoing increased

automation, decreasing the need for workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outcome of

this transition will be less demand for positions like packaging and filling machine operators and tenders;

however, there will be growth in positions such as industrial engineers and industrial machinery mechanics

and labor-intensive processes—including slaughtering and meat packing. These jobs have been difficult to

automate and may remain stable.

Consumer food trends also impact occupational and industry outlooks for the niche. The demand for pre-

packaged food products will continue, ensuring a favorable occupational outlook for production workers

such as food batchmakers. In addition, grocery store chains and other companies are investing more

seriously in their store brands as consumers seek lower-cost but high-quality food products, increasing

business for the private label food producers and packagers. Within private label products, packaging and

quality have improved and options such as regular and economy options are broadened to premium and

organic as well. Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation and Jasper Products in Joplin manufacture private-label food

products in the region.

Due to the perishable nature of food and animal feed, this niche must be closely connected to end-use

consumers. Wholesale, warehousing and storage, and distribution systems are critical to the

competitiveness of this target niche. The distribution of fresh and perishable products depends significantly

on safe, just-in-time transportation, positioning the region’s central U.S. location and proximity to a major

interstate and highways as a competitive asset. While the region is not close to major east and west coast

population centers of end-use customers, it is situated near Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville,

Arkansas, home to one of the world’s largest private distribution operations. Refrigerated storage and

trucks play an important role as infrastructure to further develop this niche and are fully aligned with the

region’s target niches within the Warehousing and Distribution sector. International brands such as General

Mills already have a presence in the region.

Land availability is also important to this niche. The region has a great deal of land suitable for facility

construction or agricultural uses. The Specialty Food Production and Packaging niche is also linked closely

to the region’s agriculture, with agriculture serving as an input and end-use consumer for processed food

products. Record-setting soybean yields in the region create raw inputs for a wide variety of food,

beverage, and nutraceutical or enriched products, while the high concentration of poultry and beef farming

both provide and consume food. Many animal feed products are manufactured regionally: Simmons Feed

Mill produces chicken feed; Turkey Creek Feed makes cattle and horse feed; Hampshire Pet Products and

Protein Solutions make pet food. At the national level, specialty consumables like nutraceuticals, pet foods,



organic, and private-label food production command higher wages than traditional food processing and

packaging operations.

Advanced Materials and Composites include a wide range of high-strength products of resins, coatings,

reinforcements, and finished products made from wood, polymers, metals, and ceramics. Composite

materials are engineered from at least two materials of different properties and sometimes molded into a

final product; examples include plastics, fiberglass, plywood, and particleboard. Advanced and non-

advanced materials and composites are used in a very wide range of equipment and applications, including

aerospace and automobile manufacturing, consumer products (such as furniture), medical devices,

scientific instruments, and building construction materials.

The “advanced” qualifier means the materials and composites have characteristic both of high strength and

high stiffness while remaining corrosion-resistant and lightweight. Advanced composites are made from

strong, low density fibers bound in a matrix by another often weaker material that reinforces the fiber itself

or another material (such as concrete). Manufacturing operations for fiber-reinforced polymers and metals

(such as reinforced aluminum) have a strong presence in the region. Standley Composites, Epoch

Composite Products, and Leggett & Platt are pioneers in advanced composites and materials.

Some closings in the region—such as the 2007 shuttering of the O’Sullivan Industries plant in Lamar, which

employed 1,700 workers at its peak of manufactured furniture kits—have left the region with a ready,

experienced workforce in the less-advanced production of composite materials and goods. However, the

region still has a strong corporate presence of firms engaged in this type of manufacturing. Schoenhofer

Brothers in Parsons produces wood office partitions, fixtures, shelving and lockers; Ray Products

manufactures paper, chip board, and laminated products; and Discovery Plastics in Miami specializes in

custom-injection molding.

Renewable and Alternative Energy has very strong connectivity to more cutting-edge Advanced

Materials and Composites and Equipment and Components, as well as the agricultural sector. In this case,

the target niche refers to the manufacturing of the components that collect, generate, and store renewable

and alternative energy as well as the research and development of energy innovation. The advancement of

wind, solar, and geothermal energy and renewable fuels is occurring in the Joplin Region at MARET, and

the storage of energy is being further developed and commercialized at EaglePicher and MOCAP.

This niche does face some near-term challenges as energy policy stalls at the national and state levels;

however, there is a real long-term opportunity in this sector as finite fossil fuel resources are consumed

and become increasingly costly to extract, process, distribute, and consume. This target niche positions the

Joplin Region to pioneer, produce, and distribute the energy management solutions that will be in greater

and greater demand in the coming years and decades.



People

Occupational Data

A major component of the Joplin Region’s economy, there are 35,000 jobs which require skills pertinent to

the Manufacturing field1, or over 20 percent of total jobs in the region. Consistent with the fact that the

Manufacturing target has strong foundations in the region, location quotients, especially those of

construction, repair, and production occupations, are high, pointing to regional specializations.

Because many of these occupations are pertinent to all niches within the Manufacturing target, the first five

tables of the seven Manufacturing occupational tables included in Appendix B cover occupations that, in

general, support the broad target as defined, especially Equipment and Components and Advanced

Materials and Composites, which have many occupational overlaps among the specialized niches. Special

attention is then given to Specialty Food Production and Packaging and Renewable and Alternative Energy,

which have cross-industry skills reaching beyond production that need to be highlighted. The following

analysis first focuses on the Manufacturing target as a whole then on the Specialty Food Production and

Packaging and Renewable and Alternative Energy niches.

Of the 142 occupations for which data are available, 87 have location quotients greater than 1.00.

The most concentrated Manufacturing-related occupations in the region include wood model

makers (13.80); metal and plastic lathe & turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders (7.99);

dredge operators (7.99); engine and other machine assemblers (4.66); metal and plastic heat treating

equipment setters, operators, and tenders (4.08); and welding, soldering, & brazing machine setters,

operators, & tenders (4.00).

Of these 87 occupations with particular regional expertise, 39 also offer median wages greater than

the regional median wage of $27,8932, covering 11,572 jobs. It is important to note that across the

occupational profile, or all 142 occupations examined, there are 82 occupations, covering 20,167

jobs that provide median wages greater than the regional median wage.

As will be examined throughout this analysis, as occupations become more advanced and

require more training, how competitive regional wages are compared to the nation (and other

communities) become more of an issue for prospective talent. Among the 142 Manufacturing-

related occupations examined, there are only seven that offer median wages greater than the

national comparison median: engine and other machine assemblers ($36,254); dredge

occupations ($34,528); metal and plastic grinding, lapping, polishing, & buffing machine tool

setters, operators, and tenders ($33,301); machine feeders and offbearers ($31,408);

packaging and filling machine operators and tenders ($30,514); weighers, measurers, checkers,

and recordkeeping samplers ($28,434); and hand packers and packagers ($19,594).

1 Note that all occupations may not work for manufacturing firms—this analysis focuses on occupations with skills that support the target—jobs

that are specific to manufacturing firms are included in the Prosperity segment. 2 Note that the median wage in the occupational tables located in Appendix B: Data differs from the average wage provided in tables within the

Prosperity tables. Please see Appendix A: Methodology for more details.



It is important to highlight the area’s cost of living, which was listed consistently as an asset by

input participants during the Competitive Snapshot phase, which is 90.8 percent of the

nation’s cost of living. In this case, using 90.8 percent as a threshold for competitiveness of

wages, there are 13 additional occupations which provide competitive wages in comparison

to the nation: sheet metal workers ($38,834); paper goods machine setters, operators, and

tenders ($33,093); inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers ($29,453); printing

machine operators ($29,432); electromechanical equipment assemblers ($28,288); metal and

plastic plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders ($28,080); industrial truck

and tractor operators ($27,706); helpers of brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile

and marble setters ($26,624); helpers of pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

($25,792); coil winders, tapers, and finishers ($25,750); wood model makers ($25,522); cooling

and freezing equipment operators and tenders ($25,043); and woodworking machine setters,

operators, and tenders, except sawing ($24,170).

The region is strong in production occupations, specifically those pertaining to assembly,

fabrication, and machine operation.

However, occupations, such as engineering and material science which require more

advanced skill levels, are somewhat lacking. Stakeholder input indicated that this is in part due

to low wages offered in the region to graduates of regional institutions who receive higher-

paying job offers in other metro areas and regions. The Joplin Region will need to focus on

dual strategies to build job opportunities in these fields while also retain students and attract

expatriates with the skills needed to foster growth in the higher-wage opportunities within

Manufacturing.

Over 3,800 jobs in the region are related to Specialty Food Production and Packaging. An indication

of the region’s existing strength in this area, 15 of the 18 occupations for which data are available

have location quotients greater than 1.00, signifying the expertise of workers within the seven-

county region. In fact there are six occupations with location quotients over 2.00, or over double the

concentration of these occupations nationwide.

Although traditionally, food processing jobs are low-paying, the focus on specialty foods makes this

area of the Manufacturing target more beneficial to the overall wealth of the region. While

production is still a major part of Specialty Food Processing, specialty foods require an added layer

of science-focused research and application of market-driven preferences within the production,

which can be supported by tie-ins with the region’s agricultural resources. Currently, eight of the 18

occupations offer median annual wages greater than the regional median wage of $27,893, covering

1,796 of jobs in the Specialty Foods Processing and Packaging niche.

The Renewable and Alternative Energy transfer opportunity seeks to leverage existing partnerships

as well as link the region’s existing firms with its renowned research capacity to further enhance the

Manufacturing target and make the region a national competitor in technology transfer related to

renewable and alternative energy.



In 2011, there were over 1,500 jobs regionally in occupations related to Renewable and Alternative

Energy. While the target niche has overall low location quotients, indicating room to grow, it is a

source of many high wage jobs in the region. Several of the occupations require college or advanced

degrees, providing opportunities within the region for its program graduates, who were said to

move to nearby larger cities to obtain work during the stakeholder input process. Of the 28

occupations for which data are available, 25 offer median annual wages greater than the regional

median wage, covering nearly 1,300 jobs.

It is important to note, however, that median wages in the region lag behind national wages

for these occupations, a consideration that may deter prospective talent from accepting

positions in the region.

Although there are no engineering-specific occupations with location quotients near or greater than

1.00, the region does have a concentration of food scientists and technologists (LQ=1.50) and soil

and plant scientists (1.39), which both generally require undergraduate or advanced degrees.

Educational Resources

While there are high school level as well as adult education manufacturing-related career training

programs and courses in the region, it is concerning that of the 35 public school districts in the region, only

four have comprehensive career and technical education programs in the school system or nearby: Franklin

Tech in Joplin, Carthage Technical Center, Lamar R-1 Vo-Tech, and Northeast Technology Center in Afton,

Oklahoma. Public input participants indicated that the larger school districts have, over the years, initiated

conversations about the need for vocational programs but no actions have been taken to implement such

programs. Strategic implications for bolstering the Manufacturing group and ensuring a pathway from high

school into technical careers include engaging the business community to support the development of

additional high school and adult education career training programs. Existing manufacturing-related high

school and adult education technical programs include:

Franklin Technology Center

Automotive Technology

Collision Repair

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Welding

Construction Tech

Carthage Technical Center

Computer Integrated Manufacturing

Digital Electronics

Robotics

Agriculture

Auto Mechanics

Electronics



Drafting

Machine Technology

Lamar R-1 Vo-Tech

Agricultural Education

Auto Mechanics

Industrial Technology

Machine Tool Technology

Welding

Drafting

Nearly 16 percent of all degrees conferred in the Joplin Region between 2007 and 2011 support the

Manufacturing target. As shown in the following table, engineering technologies and technicians dominate

fields of study of degrees supporting this target, consistent with the world-class educational resources and

opportunities in the area for engineering fields. To continue on an upward trajectory of growth in this

target and to advance emerging fields and apply research transfer opportunities, it will be important to

continue linking firms with the region’s research programs and to increase the region’s ability to retain

graduates from these programs.

MANUFACTURING-RELATED DEGREE COMPLETIONS, JOPLIN REGION, 2007–2011

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

The Joplin Region has several post-high school educational resources that support Manufacturing.

Pittsburg State University, in particular, offers many opportunities for students interested in a wide array of

manufacturing-related disciplines. While MSSU has a selection of pre-engineering, math and science, and

technical programs, it could benefit from furthering expanding and marketing those programs. It will be

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Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences 9 255 - - - - 264

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services 88 155 154 - - - 397

Construction Trades 121 4 - - - - 125

Engineering - 42 2 - - - 44

Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields 7 39 340 - 73 - 459

Engineering Technologies/Technicians 24 81 776 - 164 - 1,045

Mathematics and Statistics - 4 46 32 - - 82

Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians 369 133 - - - - 502

Precision Production 93 8 - - - - 101

Grand Total 711 721 1,318 32 237 0 3,019



increasingly important to connect these programs with businesses when opportunity arises for workforce

skill upgrades, such as the MOCAP partnership which supports the advancement of EaglePicher. The added

value of these types of partnerships is that they more directly facilitate training for workers who will remain

in the region.

A brief list of programs supporting the Manufacturing target as a whole is as follows:

Crowder College

Associate of Science in pre-engineering

Labette Community College

Associate of Science in chemistry, computer science, engineering, engineering technology,

information systems, and physics

Certificates in information systems and computer science

Missouri Southern State University

Associate of Science in drafting and design technology and manufacturing engineering technology

Bachelor of Science in chemistry, computational mathematics, mathematics, physics, and industrial

engineering technology

Pre-Engineering Program in conjunction with the University of Missouri

Minors in process improvement and quality management

Certifications in Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, land surveyor in training, CAD operator, CNC

operator, and quality technician

Northeast Technology Center – Afton

Career major programs in electrical technology and welding technology

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College

Associate of Applied Science in engineering

Associate of Science in computer information science and drafting and design technology

Certificates in computer information systems and drafting and design

Pittsburg State University

Bachelor of Science in physics with concentrations including engineering technology and in pre-

engineering with concentrations including aeronautical, electrical, industrial, and mechanical



Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology in construction engineering technology, electronics

engineering technology, manufacturing engineering technology, and mechanical engineering

technology

Master of Engineering Technology in construction, electronics, manufacturing, and mechanical

engineering

Master of Science in physics

A brief list of programs supporting the Specialty Food Production and Packaging existing strength is as

follows:

Crowder College

Associate of Applied Science in agri-business technology with options in agronomy, horticulture,

and livestock production


Associate of Applied Science in agriculture

Associate of Science in farm and ranch management

Certificates in farm and ranch management


Bachelor of Science in pre-engineering with concentration in agriculture

A brief list of programs supporting the Advanced Materials and Composites emerging area is as follows:


Bachelor of Science in polymer chemistry, polymer physics, and pre-engineering with concentration

in engineering plastics

Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology in plastics engineering technology

Master of Engineering Technology in plastics

Master of Science in chemistry and physics

A brief list of programs supporting the Renewable and Alternative Energy transfer opportunity is as

follows:

Crowder College

Associate of Applied Science in energy efficient building technology with options in construction

management, general construction, and alternative technologies



Associate of Arts in alternative energy with options in biofuels, solar, and wind


Bachelor of Science in computer information science/biology with an option in bioinformatics,

environmental health, and geophysics


Associate of Arts in natural resource ecology


Bachelor of Science in biology with concentrations including field and environmental biology,

cellular and molecular biology, and ecology and organismic biology and in chemistry with

concentrations including environmental chemistry and biochemistry

Master of Science in biology and chemistry

Prosperity Of the 172,913 jobs in the seven-county Joplin region, nearly 12 percent are directly related to the

Manufacturing target, representing a significant existing sector for the region3. Manufacturing as a whole is

largely concentrated in the region compared to the nation as illustrated by the target grouping’s overall

location quotient of 2.13. The Manufacturing target also provides opportunities for workers to attain jobs

that pay at or above the regional average of $36,174—only five of the 52 subsectors represented in the

target offer average wages lower than the regional average.

It is important to note here the difference between the region’s occupational median annual wage of

$27,893 and its establishment average annual wage of $36,174. In addition to the inability to closely

compare the two figures due to source origin issues and the method of wage calculation4, this may suggest

a wide variance of wages in the occupations within the business sectors identified, from high-level

management positions to production jobs to helper/janitor level jobs. It also could reveal that while there

are higher wage jobs represented, the bulk of jobs pay closer to the median, which accounts for frequency

of wage levels. This may be an indication that additional avenues of advancement are necessary, especially

in this target where traditionally older workers are more prevalent than younger workers. While more

workforce experience concentrated in a sector should usually point to higher levels of wages, in the case of

the region’s Manufacturing target this is not necessarily the case.

3 The proportion of jobs attributed to Manufacturing varies between the Competitive Snapshot and this report. This variation is due to several

factors, including different data sources and different time periods. Non-Farm Employment by Business Sector in the Competitive Snapshot is

based on second quarter 2011 2-digit NAICS data, which was the most recent at the time of the report, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

and the U.S. Census Bureau, while this report compiles annual 2011 4-digit NAICS data from EMSI. Please see Appendix A: Methodology for

more details about data sources.

See Appendix A: Methodology for more details.



MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT DATA, JOPLIN REGION, 2011

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI) provided by Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce

Note: Emp=Employment, LQ=Location Quotient, Est=Establishments, AAW=Average Annual Wage

There are several strong subsectors in terms of employment within this target. Subsectors with over

1,000 employees include animal slaughtering and processing (1,435 employees); printing and related

support activities (1,362); household and institutional furniture manufacturing (1,334); other electrical

equipment and component manufacturing (1,112); other furniture related product manufacturing

(1,090); plastics product manufacturing (1,049); and animal food manufacturing (1,019). This helps

illustrate that the region covers a wide array of manufacturing strengths.

The largest employers in the region include Leggett and Platt, Grandview Products Company,

Inc., Poultry House, and Calibrated Forms Company, Inc.

Emp LQ Est AAW % of US # %

Total, Manufacturing 20,601 2.13 436 $53,181 71.8% -4,775 -18.8%

3111 Animal food mfg. 1,019 18.95 18 $50,700 80.3% 140 15.9%

3112 Grain & oilseed milling 249 4.22 3 $54,641 73.4% 20 8.7%

3114 Fruit & vegetable preserving & specialty 731 4.13 3 $64,516 125.3% 88 13.7%

3115 Dairy product mfg. 845 6.40 4 $71,850 116.3% -344 -28.9%

3116 Animal slaughtering and processing 1,435 2.94 10 $40,600 100.7% 39 2.8%

3118 Bakeries and tortilla mfg. 219 0.74 3 $49,119 114.0% -58 -20.9%

3212

Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product

mfg. 42 0.64 2 $34,815 67.3% 10 31.3%

3219 Other wood product mfg. 387 1.70 22 $35,184 83.7% -102 -20.9%

3231 Printing & related support activities 1,362 2.51 45 $43,166 85.1% -401 -22.7%

3241 Petroleum and coal products mfg. 295 2.65 7 $107,949 61.2% -59 -16.7%

3251 Basic chemical mfg. 293 2.06 7 $72,159 63.1% 72 32.6%

3253 Pesticide, fertilizer, and other ag. chemical mfg. 61 1.64 4 $75,437 77.9% -157 -72.0%

3254 Pharmaceutical and medicine mfg. 20 0.07 4 $83,830 63.3% -9 -31.0%

3255 Paint, coating, and adhesive mfg. 135 2.24 4 $55,871 67.1% 58 75.3%

3259 Other chemical product and preparation mfg. 240 2.69 4 $93,656 110.7% -97 -28.8%

3261 Plastics product mfg. 1,049 2.03 13 $47,327 82.2% -57 -5.2%

3262 Rubber product mfg. 26 0.21 2 $49,187 75.9% -33 -55.9%

3271 Clay product and refractory mfg. 70 1.50 4 $39,115 70.8% -33 -32.0%

3273 Cement & concrete product mfg. 290 1.69 20 $40,772 67.9% -86 -22.9%

3274 Lime and gypsum product mfg. 16 1.18 1 $51,164 72.5% 4 33.3%

3279 Other nonmetallic mineral product mfg. 107 1.53 5 $41,932 67.1% -28 -20.7%

Industry

Code Industry Title

2011

Employment

Change,

2006-2011



MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT DATA, JOPLIN REGION, 2011, CONT’D



Several subsectors across the gamut of manufacturing specialties demonstrate regional expertise. Of

the 52 subsectors included in the target, 38 have location quotients of over 1.00. Those subsectors

with the highest levels of concentration in the Joplin Region include other furniture related product

manufacturing (29.55), animal food manufacturing (18.95), other electrical equipment and


Total 20,601 2.13 436 $53,181 71.8% -4,775 -18.8%

3312 Steel product mfg. from purchased steel 75 1.32 2 $62,783 80.7% -226 -75.1%

3313

Alumina and aluminum production and

processing 61 1.05 3 $39,307 49.8% -131 -68.2%

3323 Architectural & structural metals mfg. 672 1.95 18 $50,844 88.5% 173 34.7%

3324 Boiler, tank, and shipping container mfg. 554 6.21 8 $71,938 100.9% 169 43.9%

3326 Spring and wire product mfg. 380 8.49 5 $45,631 81.0% -53 -12.2%

3327 Machine shops & threaded product mfg. 799 2.21 43 $44,910 75.5% -242 -23.2%

3328 Coating, engraving, & heat treating metals 32 0.24 6 $46,695 87.2% -96 -75.0%

3329 Other fabricated metal product mfg. 671 2.56 16 $58,812 85.5% -34 -4.8%

3331 Ag., construction, & mining machinery mfg. 58 0.26 5 $65,187 75.5% -5 -7.9%

3332 Industrial machinery mfg. 151 1.37 5 $44,286 51.2% -28 -15.6%

3333 Commercial and service industry machinery mfg. 208 2.08 4 $57,472 70.7% 22 11.8%

3334

Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and

commercial refrigeration equipment mfg. 174 1.30 4 $43,569 70.5% -91 -34.3%

3335 Metalworking machinery mfg. 122 0.68 17 $51,847 78.6% -3 -2.4%

3339 Other general purpose machinery mfg. 431 1.75 9 $48,962 64.9% -258 -37.4%

3341 Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. 136 0.80 1 $103,795 61.8% 25 22.5%

3344

Semiconductor and other electronic component

mfg. 707 1.81 3 $48,945 47.0% 13 1.9%

3345 Electronic instrument mfg. 24 0.06 3 $41,894 39.8% -15 -38.5%

3351 Electric lighting equipment mfg. 245 4.95 1 $60,425 85.7% 54 28.3%

3352 Household appliance mfg. 251 4.15 1 $31,475 42.1% -52 -17.2%

3353 Electrical equipment mfg. 59 0.41 2 $55,227 64.6% -72 -55.0%

3359 Other electrical equipment and component mfg. 1,112 8.75 7 $59,430 74.6% 215 24.0%

3362 Motor vehicle body & trailer mfg. 346 3.06 10 $36,086 58.3% -33 -8.7%

3363 Motor vehicle parts mfg. 410 0.95 10 $61,059 82.7% -791 -65.9%

3364 Aerospace product and parts mfg. 405 0.84 5 $65,857 60.2% 14 3.6%

3366 Ship and boat building 331 2.53 2 $33,676 48.1% -149 -31.0%

3369 Other transportation equipment mfg. 54 1.41 3 $43,058 55.2% -12 -18.2%

3371 Household & institutional furniture mfg. 1,334 5.35 25 $42,830 99.1% -1,454 -52.2%

3372 Office furniture (including fixtures) mfg. 386 3.82 5 $41,575 74.9% -256 -39.9%

3379 Other furniture related product mfg. 1,090 29.55 3 $69,164 139.2% -441 -28.8%

3391 Medical equipment & supplies mfg. 57 0.18 10 $39,473 46.4% 13 29.5%

3399 Other miscellaneous mfg. 375 0.99 15 $43,950 76.0% 2 0.5%

Industry

Code Industry Title

2011

Employment

Change



component manufacturing (8.75), spring and wire product manufacturing (8.49), dairy product

manufacturing (6.40), and boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing (6.21).

Although the target’s annual average wage of $53,181 is only 71.8 percent of the nation’s annual

average wage for the same grouping of manufacturing subsectors, there are, as already noted, many

opportunities for high-wage positions in the region. In fact, there are eight subsectors that offer

annual average wages comparable to or higher than that of the national average for those

occupations: animal slaughtering and processing ($40,600); household and institutional furniture

manufacturing ($42,830); bakeries and tortilla manufacturing ($49,119); fruit and vegetable

preserving and specialty ($64,516); other furniture related product manufacturing ($69,164); dairy

product manufacturing ($71,850); boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing ($71,938); and

other chemical product and preparation manufacturing ($93,656).

To aid in increasing the regional average annual wage, which will contribute to the region’s

competitiveness, specialty areas are highlighted within the target grouping: Specialty Food

Processing and Packaging, which builds on those areas within food processing that offer

higher wages, as well as Advanced Materials and Composites and Renewable and Alternative

Energy, which all require high levels of training and an advanced level of skills.

Although the region as a whole experienced job growth of 0.32 percent from 2006 to 2011,

according to EMSI data, it is important to note that the region’s Manufacturing sector experienced

job loss of 18.8 percent, or 4,775 jobs, over the same time period.

The subsectors that experienced the highest levels of percent job loss over the five-year

period are steel product manufacturing from purchased steel (-75.1 percent); coating,

engraving, and heat treating metals (-75.0 percent); and pesticide, fertilizer, and other

agricultural chemical manufacturing (-72.0 percent). Household and institutional furniture

manufacturing had the greatest numerical loss, downsizing by 1,454 jobs.

Eighteen subsectors experienced job growth from 2006 to 2011. Those with the highest

percent job growth include paint, coating, and adhesive manufacturing (75.3 percent); boiler,

tank, and shipping container manufacturing (43.9 percent); and architectural and structural

metals manufacturing (34.7 percent).

A shift-share analysis5 revealed that several business sectors show strong competitive advantage in

the region. Of the 52 manufacturing subsectors, 24 displayed employment gains between 2006 and

2011 that exceed national and sector-wide trends.

Manufacturing sectors with notable competitive advantages include the following: Other electrical

equipment and component manufacturing (307 potential job gains due to local advantages);

architectural and structural metals manufacturing (263); boiler, tank, and shipping container

manufacturing (190); plastics product manufacturing (166); semiconductor and other electronic

5 Please refer to Appendix A: Methodology for more details on shift-share analysis and Appendix B: Data for shift-share tables.



component manufacturing (118); and motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing (101). It is

important to note that for all these subsectors, national and sector-wide trends pointed to job losses

while locally, these sectors grew.

Place

Location Factors

Regional Strength in Warehousing and Distribution: The ability to efficiently move raw materials and

finished goods is a requirement for a healthy manufacturing sector. In addition to a strong trucking

presence, the Joplin Region has rail, air, and water logistics capabilities. These assets are further examined

in the Warehousing and Distribution target analysis.

Although the region’s warehousing and storage facilities are mostly primarily categorized as “general

warehousing and storage”, there are several companies who do engage in specialized warehousing that

includes refrigeration and storage for explosive or radioactive cargo, a plus for the region for

manufacturers who need specific types of storage capabilities. Pursuing the transfer opportunity within the

Warehousing and Distribution target grouping, Underground Warehousing, may provide added capacity to

further strengthen the region’s competitiveness in Manufacturing-related target niches.

Access to Major Markets: The Joplin metro area has a competitive population reach. Within a 150 mile

radius, there are 5.89 million people, a greater number than other nearby metros, including Tulsa (5.12

million), Springfield (4.97 million), Fayetteville (4.61 million), and Kansas City (4.53 million). When a 500-mile

radius is examined, the region reaches a population of 65.11 million, slightly lower than Kansas City (65.26

million) and lower than Springfield (71.47 million).

REGIONAL MARKET POPULATION REACH, 2010

Source: City of Pittsburg, KS via U.S. Census Bureau and Applied Geographic Solutions

Agricultural Resources: Commodities produced in the region are corn, soybean, wheat, grain sorghum,

and cattle. As shown in the following table, Barton County, Missouri has the highest percentage of its land

used as farms, and Newton County, Missouri has the greatest number of farms.

Metro Area 150 Miles 300 Miles 500 Miles

Joplin, MO 5.89 mill 20.53 mill 65.11 mill

Kansas City, MO 4.53 mill 18.72 mill 65.26 mill

Tulsa, OK 5.13 mill 20.91 mill 53.49 mill

Fayetteville, AR 4.61 mill 25.57 mill 62.13 mill

Springfield, MO 4.97 mill 19.82 mill 71.47 mill



FARM PRESENCE IN JOPLIN REGION BY COUNTY, 2007

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

The following table provides planted acreage of the commodities produced in the region as well as the

yield and heads of cattle. Cherokee County, Kansas has the largest acreage of planted corn and soybean

while Jasper County, Missouri has the largest acreage of wheat and Labette County, Kansas, sorghum.

Newton County, Missouri boasts the highest count of cattle within the region.

COMMODITY CAPACITY IN JOPLIN REGION BY COUNTY, 2010

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Note: NP=Not Published; bu=bushels; ac=acres

Another area of agriculture in the region is mushrooms. Ottawa County, Oklahoma has several mushroom

farms, including major employers J-M Farms (250 employees) and 4-Satellite Mushroom Farms (180

employees).

Utility Costs

The average cost of electricity across the region is competitive when compared to the United States, which

has an average cost of commercial electricity 2.5 cents greater than that in the region and an average cost

of industrial electricity of about a penny greater than that in the region. In the following table, electricity

costs per kilowatthour are provided for the region, the region’s six largest utility providers, and the nation.

County

Number of

Farms,

2007

% Land Area

in Farms,

2007

% of Farms with

Direct Sales for

Human

Consumption,

2007

% of Farms with

High-Speed

Internet Access,

2007

% of Farms

with Sales Less

than $10,000,

2007

% of Farms with

Value-Added

Commodities,

2007

Barton, MO 1,046 92.2% 2.4% 26.0% 47.2% 2.3%

Jasper, MO 1,369 63.3% 3.8% 22.8% 58.6% 4.0%

Newton, MO 1,590 61.5% 4.3% 23.5% 61.6% 4.4%

Cherokee, KS 809 86.3% 4.0% 34.2% 48.2% 2.0%

Crawford, KS 911 90.7% 2.2% 41.6% 53.8% 0.9%

Labette, KS 1,052 89.9% 3.2% 35.4% 52.7% 3.2%

Ottawa, OK 1,160 78.9% 5.1% 23.5% 65.9% 4.1%

County

Planted

Acres

Yield

(bu/ac)

Planted

Acres

Yield

(bu/ac)

Planted

Acres

Yield

(bu/ac)

Planted

Acres

Yield

(bu/ac) All Cattle

Beef

Cows

Milk

Cows

Barton, MO 56,400 137.6 79,000 36.4 NP NP 2,300 68.5 48,000 21,500 500

Jasper, MO 29,000 128.6 45,900 33.7 17,000 36.7 700 77.8 51,000 28,000 2,100

Newton, MO NP NP 5,100 27.4 2,600 39.2 NP NP 74,000 36,500 4,200

Cherokee, KS 57,500 116.5 97,000 30.8 NP NP NP NP 32,000 20,000 NP

Crawford, KS 46,500 112.3 67,000 30.0 4,300 30.8 1,500 71.7 50,000 21,000 NP

Labette, KS 44,500 107.6 70,000 27.0 8,300 28.9 3,300 75.0 68,000 26,500 NP

Ottawa, OK 9,500 117.2 24,100 27.7 9,000 28.5 2,100 83.2 60,000 32,500 600

Corn Soybean Wheat Sorghum Cattle (by Head)



UTILITY COSTS PER KILOWATT HOUR (kWh) BY LARGEST PROVIDERS*, 2010

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

* Largest providers by number of consumers served

Industrial Parks

The wide availability of industrial space in the region is a vital asset that the region will need to more

efficiently market by having a master list of all industrial parks in the seven-county region and their

specifications, including acreage and square feet of available space and highway, rail, and airport

connectivity, for easy access of prospective companies. A brief list of the region’s formal industrial parks is

below. It is important to note that in addition to these parks, the region has a supply of large parcels of

undeveloped land.

Missouri

Crossroads Business and Distribution Park (Joplin): This park is a mixed-use business park zoned for

heavy industrial operations and includes a 50,000 square foot spec building. With all infrastructure in

place, there are 600 available acres and access to Interstate 44, U.S. Highway 71, and Joplin Regional

Airport. Current tenants include the Great Outdoor Grill Company, Brunner Fabrication, and

Hampshire Pet Products.

Former O’Sullivan Facility (Barton County): Zoned for heavy industrial operations, this property has

five single story industrial buildings of over 1.03 million square feet available. Electricity, water,

sewer, and natural gas are available.

Neosho Industrial Park (Newton County): Located between Highways 60 and 71, this former military

base has over 1,000 acres available and is zoned for heavy and light industrial operations. Water,

sewer, and street are in place. It has access to rail and trucking services. It is also located in a

Missouri Enterprise Zone. The park’s spec building is 30,000 square feet.

Joplin/Webb City Industrial Park (Jasper County): Home to AJM Packaging, Cliffstar Corporation, Rx

Label Technology, EaglePicher Technologies, Owens-Corning Vinyl Operations, Alcan Plastic

Packaging, and Standard Transportation, this park is in an Enhanced Enterprise Zone and is only four

miles from the Joplin Regional Airport and three miles from Interstate 44. The park, which has 67

Provider State Commercial Industrial

Average across all providers - $0.077 $0.059

Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co OK $0.075 $0.055

Public Service Co of Oklahoma OK $0.064 $0.045

Westar Energy Inc KS $0.077 $0.065

KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations MO $0.077 $0.056

Kansas Gas & Electric Co KS $0.076 $0.055

Empire District Electric Co MO $0.089 $0.069

United States - $0.102 $0.068



acres of available greenfield space, is served by the Missouri-Northern Arkansas Railroad, and all

utilities are available.

Webb City Industrial Park (Jasper County): This industrial site is still under development and is being

repurposed from a remediated former Superfund site. Stage One has 180 acres that includes

planned wetlands and water retention sites. Highway access (I-249, I-44, and U.S. Highway 71) and

railroad service are available.

Kansas

Great Plains Industrial Park (Labette County): This former army ammunition plant has over 6,700

acres of developable land and has 106 miles of existing roadways, 33 miles of rail connected to

Union Pacific, and its own water and waste water treatment plants. It is located near Interstate 44

and has access to the Port of Catoosa by rail. It also boasts 19 cold storage warehouses that are over

21,000 square feet each and 95 earth-mounded igloos that are over 1,200 square feet each.

Airport Industrial Park (Crawford County): This park is divided into two parts: Airport Industrial Park

East and Airport Industrial Park West. The eastern portion is utilized by metal fabrication

manufacturers, education software curriculum developers, and screen printing businesses. The

western portion has one tenant on its 245 acres of space, a distribution company, and has 240 acres

available for development.

Northeast Regional Industrial Park (Crawford County): This park is for light to heavy manufacturing

and contains existing facilities as well as developable parcels of land.

Research and Development Park (Crawford County): Intended for use by research based employers,

this park currently has a polymer research center and a publisher of resource directories utilizing

space. Land is available for development.

Southeast Industrial Park (Crawford County): This park is fully occupied and has on its premises

businesses involved in digital printing, metal fabrication, and educational equipment and curriculum

development.

Industrial Park #1 (Labette County): Located on U.S. Highway 59, this park’s tenants include Babcock

Manufacturing, Superior School Supplies, Ray Products, Alexander Manufacturing, Signature

Sportswear, Dayton Superior, and the City of Parsons Business Incubator Center.

Industrial Park #2 (Labette County): Located on U.S. Highway 59, Tank Connection, Alliance

Constructors, UPS, Ryder Truck Rental, Columbian TecTank, Power Flame, and PEC Fitness Center

operate in this park.

Wayne Moran Industrial Park (Labette County): Located on U.S. Highway 59, tenants of this park

include LDF, a Coors distributor, Taylor Products, Flesh Company, Jayco Valve, and Signature

Sportswear.



Superior Industrial Park (Labette County): This park is home to Grandview Products, Tompkins/Ruskin

Manufacturing, and LaForge & Budd Construction and is located on U.S. Highway 59.

Flynn Industrial Park (Labette County): Located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and U.S.

Highway 400 and has access to Union Pacific Railroad, this park is home to Suhor Industries, Sapa

Industries, Old Dominion Freight Lines, Westar Energy, Grandview Products, Timber Creek Meats,

and Shaffer Signs. The park includes a spec building that is 100’ by 200’ with 26’ high side walls.

Tolen Creek Industrial Park (Labette County): This park is located on U.S. Highway 59 and has access

to U.S. Highway 400 and to Union Pacific Railroad. It features 120 acres of potential space.

Columbus Industrial Park (Cherokee County): This industrial site is ten acres located on U.S. Highway

69. All utilities are available.

Bob Kitch Industrial Park (Cherokee County): This is a 12-acre park located in close proximity to

Interstate 44.

Baxter Springs Industrial Park (Cherokee County): This park has available two parcels of 16.6 acres

and 62.5 acres that are adjacent to a Burlington Northern Sante Fe rail line as well as a 4.9 acre

parcel. Electricity, natural gas, and water are already set up.

Oklahoma

Progress Industrial Park (Ottawa County): Zoned for light and municipal industrial, this industrial park

has approximately 56 developable acres of its 158 total acres and has electric, water, sewer, and gas

services.

Northwest Industrial Park (Ottawa County): This industrial park has 134 acres of land.

Fairland Industrial Park (Ottawa County): Of its over 99 acres of space, 58 acres are available, and the

park has electricity, water, sewer, and gas. It has access to U.S. Highway 60 and State Highway 125.

State-Level Incentives

The region has access to several state-level incentives, although these are not consistent across the three

states. It will be important for the region to continue to advocate for competitive incentives related to its

target areas and to keep apprised of legislative debates that may affect the region’s ability to attract or

retain companies.

Missouri

Manufacturing Jobs Program: This program allows qualified manufacturers or suppliers that bring

next-generation production to Missouri to retain withholding taxes of up to $10 million annually.

Energy Exemption: This incentive is a sales tax exemption of energy purchases, including electrical

energy, gas, water, coal, chemicals, machinery equipment, and materials, made by manufacturing

companies. These purchases must be utilized in the manufacture, processing, compounding, mining,



or production of any product, or in the processing of recovered materials, or in research and

development.

Kansas

Wind and Solar Bond Financing: This incentive provides eligible wind and solar energy manufacturers

with bond financing that can be repaid with payroll withholding tax of the jobs created through this

program. Eligibility requirements include creating at least 200 new jobs within five years, providing

an average annual wage of at least $32,500, and investing a minimum of $30 million.

Kansas Bioscience Authority Programs: This program fosters partnerships between the Kansas

Bioscience Authority and bioscience firms, research institutions, inventors, entrepreneurs, and

investors to further the biosciences in Kansas. The Kansas Bioscience Authority provides financial

assistance to support research endeavors, encourage technology transfer, and spur expansion

opportunities for bioscience firms.

Ethanol Production Incentive: The state has a Kansas Qualified Agricultural Ethyl Alcohol Producer

Fund from which qualified ethanol producers may receive production incentives.

Research and Development Credit: This income tax credit is for taxpayers who make eligible research

and development expenditures. The credit is 6.5 percent of the difference between the qualified

expense for the year and the average of expenses made during the year and the two previous tax

years.

Environmental Compliance Report: This program is for existing refineries that make qualified

expenditures to comply with environmental standards or requirements. The income tax credit is

equal to the amount of qualified expenses.

Integrated Coal Gasification Power Plant Credit: A credit of ten present of the first $250 million

invested in a new integrated coal gasification power plant or in the expansion of a plant and the five

percent of the investment that exceeds $250 million is available.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Tax Credit: This credit is ten percent of qualified investments in new integrated

coal or coke gasification nitrogen fertilizer plants or in the expansion of an existing plant up to the

first $250 million invested and five percent of the investment over $250 million. The credit can be

taken in ten equal, annual installments.

Waste Heat Utilization System: This program is a property tax exemption for waste heat utilization

systems, or facilities and equipment that recover the waste heat generated in the electricity

generation process or use that heat to generate additional electricity or produce fuels from

renewable energy resources or technologies, for ten taxable years immediately following the year of

construction or installation completion.

Property Tax Exemption – Farm Machinery and Equipment: Specifically designed for agricultural

business sectors, this incentive provides an exemption for farm machinery and equipment actually



and regularly used in farming or ranching operations, feedlot operation, nursery operation,

aquaculture operation, or Christmas tree operation.

Oklahoma

Income Tax Credit for Investment in Oklahoma Producer-Owned Agriculture Processing: This tax credit

of up to 30 percent of investment is available to eligible Oklahoma agricultural producers who invest

in agricultural processing ventures, cooperatives, or marketing associations.

Agricultural Commodity Processing Facility Income Tax Exemption: In this program, up to 15 percent

of investment by owners of new or expanding agricultural commodity processing facilities is

excluded from Oklahoma taxable income. No more than $1 million per year may be excluded.

Aircraft Maintenance Facilities Tax Exemption: This program is a sales tax exemption for sales at

aircraft maintenance and manufacturing facilities operated by an air common carrier that employs at

least 2,000 full-time employees.

Aircraft Maintenance or Manufacturing Facility Tax Refund: This is a sales tax refund incentive for

sales of computers, data processing equipment, and related telecommunications equipment utilized

in an aircraft maintenance or manufacturing facility. The facility must be new or expanding, have a

total cost of construction over $5 million, have at least 250 employees, and pay at least $2 million for

the qualifying equipment.

Ethanol Facilities Credit: To increase ethanol production in Oklahoma, this tax credit will be available

later in 2012 to owners of ethanol facilities that produce the required output.

Biodiesel Production Tax Credit: Beginning January 1, 2013, this is tax credit for biodiesel production

facilities of 7.5 cents per gallon of biodiesel produced for new production for a time period 36

months or less.

Investment/New Jobs Tax Credits: This program is specifically for manufacturers that expand or create

new jobs. Benefits include a five-year tax credit based on investments or new jobs; sales tax refunds

on construction materials, computers, data processing equipment, telecommunications equipment,

and computer services; and income tax exemptions or credits for hazardous waste recycling and

reuse and compressed natural gas conversion as well as insurance premiums.

Biofuels Tax Exemption: This incentive provides an exemption from the state motor fuel excise tax for

the production and use of biofuels or biodiesels from feedstock grown on property and used in a

vehicle owned by the same individual.

Technology Transfer Income Tax Exemption: This incentive allows an exemption from taxable income

in the amount of any royalty payment received as a result of a technology transfer from Oklahoma

corporations to qualified Oklahoma small businesses. The exempted amount cannot exceed ten

percent of the amount of gross proceeds received by such corporation as a result of the tech

transfer.



New Products Development Income Tax Exemption: This seven-year exemption applies to royalties

earned by inventors on products developed and manufactured in Oklahoma when registered with

the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).

Marketing and Utilization Loan: This loan program assists with the development or implementation

of a marketing plan for Oklahoma agricultural products, by-products, or agritourism venues or for

proposals that identify new or better uses for existing agricultural products and finance feasibility

studies, business plans, or test marketing.

Specialty Crop Grant: This grant program is for eligible producers that plan to enhance the

competitiveness of specialty crops including fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture,

and nursery crops. Competitiveness applies to projects addressing issues such as increasing child

and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption and investing in specialty crop research including

organic research to focus on environmental outcomes.

Farm Diversification Grant: This grant program is for diversifying family farms, ranches, or

agritourism venues to include non-traditional crops or livestock, on-farm processing of agricultural

commodities, or development of an agritourism. Grants are available in three levels: $2,500 or less

with no matching funds required; $2,501 - $5,000 with a level of cash or in-kind match in funds; and

$5,001 - $10,000 with a dollar to dollar cash match.

Basic and Applied Research Loan/Grant: This incentive is for eligible individuals or entities involved in

research pertaining to developing agricultural products or by-products and creating businesses from

that research.

Research and Development Institutions and Resources

The Joplin Region has tremendous research capacity that should be leveraged to attract companies

focused on the same interests as well as to attract talent. There already exist partnerships between firms

and the listed research institutions, and these should be expanded and more highly marketed. Also,

ensuring that partnerships are solidified within the region will be key as these world-class institutions have

global partnerships that assist in placing new graduates in other regions for higher-paying jobs. The Joplin

Region business community will need to take advantage of local opportunities for increased workforce

skills and research and development advancement.

The Missouri Center for Advanced Power Systems (MOCAP): Housed on the campus of Missouri

Southern State University, MOCAP is a collaborative of MSSU, Missouri University of Science and

Technology, Missouri State University, University of Missouri-Columbia, EaglePicher Technologies,

the Joseph Newman Innovation Center, and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. MOCAP directly

supports EaglePicher’s workforce development needs, which include engineers with the multi-

faceted base of knowledge (electrical engineering, chemical engineering, materials science, and

energy storage) needed to create batteries and other forms of energy storage manufactured by the

firm.



Missouri Alternative and Renewable Energy Technology Center (MARET): In 1992, the Missouri

Legislature named Crowder College the state’s education center for renewable energy. Since then,

MARET has become internationally recognized for its work in green construction, solar thermal

energy, solar electricity, wind, and bio fuels. In Spring 2009, construction of a new MARET facility

began, and on May 4, 2012, the MARET Center was officially opened. The 9,000 square foot building

is a “living laboratory” utilizing wind energy, solar thermal, solar electricity, and other alternative

energy methods to operate. In addition to providing educational opportunities and research, MARET

also assists in new product development and business support services.

Kansas Technology Center (KTC): Located in the College of Technology at Pittsburg State University,

KTC opened in 1997 and provides students with a one-stop shop for technology education. The

building has over 13 computer labs, nearly 70 technical laboratories, and contains approximately $26

million of state-of-the-art equipment. KTC offers over 15 program areas for undergraduate and

graduate students and leverages its well-developed partnerships to provide students with internship

opportunities as well as economic development applications.

Kansas Polymer Research Center (KPRC): Housed at Pittsburg State University and funded by the

Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation, KPRC specializes in vegetable oil-based polymer research

and development. To propel the development and commercialization of intellectual property

created and developed in the center, KPRC partners with industrial entities, state and federal

agencies, and producer associations. One major accomplishment of the center is its partnership with

Cargill, an agribusiness company, which has led to the global commercialization of a line of soy

polyols that have applications in the automotive, construction, and home furnishings business

sectors.

Trade Groups

Missouri Association of Manufacturers: The only organization in Missouri dedicated to representing

the interests of manufacturers in the state, this organization was founded in 1993 and serves to

advocate for economic, political, educational, and social interests of manufacturers. The organization

began as the Springfield Area Manufacturers Association and began expanding its outreach by

including the southwest Missouri region in 2002. In 2010, the then Southwest Area Manufacturers

Association became the Missouri Association of Manufacturers and now represents manufacturers

across the state.



WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION

Overview The Warehousing and Distribution target encompasses business

sectors that deal with the movement and storage of goods. An

effective supply-chain network is critical to profitability for businesses

across all sectors because just-in-time inventory strategies are now

commonplace among most national retailers, manufacturers, and

service providers. To maintain lean operations, businesses have

decreased the volume of in-process inventory and instead rely on

express just-in-time shipments from third-party logistics (3PL)

providers to improve flexibility, efficiency, and return on investments.

In addition to large freight shipments traveling by air, road, rail, and

waterway, the growth in e-commerce has increased the number of

first-to-consumer (F2C) fulfillment centers, also called “pick and pack”

operations. These innovations still rely on traditional infrastructure

strengths—air, road, and rail—to successfully fulfill consumer demand.

Justifications

The region’s prime location in the center of the country and along I-44 and many four-lane highways

positions it well for distribution and transportation activities.

Large parcels of undeveloped land and megasites—such as Great Plains Industrial Park in Labette

County—are favorable to large-footprint storage and supply-chain management facilities.

The Joplin Region has a strong base in trucking and warehousing. Data show high LQs and wages in

trucking and warehousing, including general freight trucking, specialized freight trucking, and

warehousing and storage.

The region is served by three Class I freight rail lines: Kansas City Southern, Burlington Northern

Santa Fe, Missouri, and Northern Arkansas Railroad, in addition to regional rail service.

The region has access to existing freight cargo service within the region and within one to two hours

of the region as well as a nearby inland port (Tulsa’s Port of Catoosa).

The region’s educational resources, which include career training as well as certificate and degree

programs, are key assets.

Presence of a strong existing manufacturing sector reinforces demand for the movement of goods.




Major employers in these sectors include Ameri Cold Logistics, which provides refrigerated

warehousing and storage and specialized freight trucking (400 employees); R&R Trucking, which can

transport radioactive materials, gases, flammable liquids, corrosives, and other substances (300

employees); Bed Rock Inc., which specializes in transporting explosive or contaminated cargo (200

employees); Con-Way Truckload Services, a specialized freight trucking company with corporate

offices in Joplin (200 employees).

The region’s warehousing and storage facilities are mostly categorized as “general warehousing and

storage” with some facilities that are refrigerated or for farm products. The emerging area and

transfer opportunity within this target may provide added capacity to strengthen the region’s

competitiveness.

According to BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, the Joplin MSA has a high LQ in the

overarching occupation category transportation and material moving occupations (1.79). More

specifically, the two-county MSA has high LQs in heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (5.38) and

bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (2.74).

Training is provided by the Kansas Technology Center’s Diesel and Heavy Equipment and

Automotive Technology programs.

Ozark Terminal in Neosho is a limestone mine that was repurposed to provide underground multi-

use leasing space. Nearby, in Springfield, Missouri, a limestone mine was repurposed to provide

secure commercial space collectively named Springfield Underground. Because limestone is a

different material than the lead, coal, and zinc mines spread across the region, a feasibility study

would need to be conducted to determine what these mines could be transformed into.

Target Profile

The Warehousing and Distribution target grouping encompasses three niches: Trucking and Rail

Transportation; Warehousing and Distribution; and Underground Warehousing.

Industry trade group projections vary, but nationwide, long-term growth in the Warehousing and

Distribution sector is expected to be strong. U.S. freight traffic is expected to grow anywhere from 61 to

100 percent by 2020, with foreign trade projected to grow by as much as 187 percent. According to Tim

Feemster, senior vice president and director of Global Logistics for Grubb & Ellis Company in Dallas,

“Companies are taking a much closer look at entire supply-chain cost, not just the cost of real estate.

Transportation is over 50 percent of the cost of supply chain—the next most-expensive component is labor

at 17 percent. The real driver is the cost of transportation.” This has meant that shortening the distance

goods travel within the supply chain has become critically important in controlling costs. The Joplin Region

is located in the center of the U.S., a key advantage. Additionally, the region benefits from its location on

Interstate 44 and high concentrations in trucking and three Class I rail carriers, and it is in close proximity to

many major assets, such as various regional and international airports and an inland water port. However, it

is important to note that major challenges include that its proximity to major markets isn’t as competitive



as in metros closer to the East Coast, that the region is at high risk for tornadoes, and that not all of the

portions of the region have four-lane access to the Interstate or major thoroughfares. One project that will

increase the region’s accessibility is the conversion of U.S. Route 71, which connects Joplin to Kansas City

driving north and Fort Smith, Arkansas driving south, into Interstate 49.

Other key challenges that affect distribution markets nationwide are outdated infrastructure, population

growth, and traffic congestion, which can result in the increase of transportation costs. Uncertainties in the

sector include federal emission and fuel efficiency regulation, volatility in oil and diesel prices, and effects

of a deeper Panama Canal.

One area that the region will eventually need to bolster in the technology-driven future is a focus on

supply chain issues. Freight volumes in the United States will continue to increase, putting pressure on

firms to streamline and find new efficiencies in the supply chain. Technological advancements in the

design, coordination, and management of all supply chain processes related to the housing and movement

of goods are vital to advancing and expanding the sector. Widespread use of GPS technology has provided

much value to firms, especially with added ability to track shipments and inventories in real time. Further,

the rising importance of just-in-time-shipping, proximity to “last mile,” and accuracy of inventory systems

contribute to a positive outlook for the sector. Increases in containerized cargo shipments, population

growth, and competition among suppliers provide positive ingredients to fuel growth and job creation.

The Trucking and Rail Transportation niche is already well-established in the region. Trucking and Rail

Transportation firms move freight from point to point via interstates, highways, and rail. They haul a wide

variety of commodities stored in pallet form and then transported via container. In addition to the

movement of goods, Trucking and Rail businesses provide other logistics services that support the

Warehousing and Distribution target, including local pickup and delivery, goods or container sorting, and

line-haul between carriers and terminals. These firms likely have networks of other logistics providers to

offer intermodal services, or any combination of trucking or rail with other methods like air and waterway.

The infrastructure within the region for both trucking and rail provides a wider range of opportunities in

the movement of freight. Trucking—its speed and flexibility—provides more opportunities for just-in-time

shipments, while rail is more efficient and less expensive, especially for large and heavy freight.

Other important activities that support the overall sector are inventory management, purchasing, efficient

sequencing of resources, and material handling. Warehousing and Distribution includes those firms who

store and deliver goods along the supply chain. These firms are not as involved with selling products to

end-use customers. Wholesale trade encompasses those firms who act as intermediaries between

manufacturers and end-use customers. Wholesalers typically buy directly from manufacturers and sell to

large corporations, institutions, and the government. Typical wholesale operations are small and employ

less than 20 workers.

Underground Warehousing focuses on the potential to repurpose the region’s coal and zinc mines for

space that would be useful for businesses that demand added options for temperature control and

heightened security and protection against inclement weather. Potential examples of these uses are food

manufacturers, data centers, and geothermal energy generation and storage. Examples of such



repurposing are mines in Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany. The concept is currently being studied in

Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.

People

Occupational Data

Occupational data, provided in Appendix B, highlight the region’s existing strength in Trucking and Rail

Transportation. Occupations within this segment of the target have high location quotients, showing

regional specialization, as well as high median annual wages.

Among the most highly concentrated occupations in the region are heavy and tractor-trailer truck

drivers (3.53), which is also has the highest level of employment within the target with 7,145 workers;

railroad brake, signal, and switch operators (3.31); locomotive engineers and operators (2.15);

railroad conductors and yardmasters (2.03); and industrial truck and tractor operators (1.62).

The region also benefits from high concentrations of mechanics, transportation equipment repairers,

and inspectors, supported by several educational institutions in the region. While these positions

have lower median wages than the aforementioned drivers and railroad operators, most earn wages

higher than the region’s median annual wage of $27,893.

In terms of the emerging area of Warehousing and Distribution, there are high-wage opportunities on the

customer service and sales end of the spectrum within wholesale trade as well as in warehousing itself. One

reason this is an emerging area is that there is much room to attract new companies as well as grow

existing companies that will attract the workers needed to fill new jobs. Many of the occupations directly

related to the logistics coordination component of this target have low concentrations in the region.

Three of the highest paid occupations in the target include management and supervisory

occupations such as purchasing managers ($61,776); transportation, storage, and distribution

managers ($54,350); and sales managers ($53,643).

However, several other occupations are those that do not generally require education beyond a high

school diploma and provide wages lower than the regional median wage, such as order clerks

($20,758), laborers and freight, stock, and material movers ($20,738), and stock clerks and order

fillers ($19,531).

With respect to the region’s age dynamics, it is important to note that in many markets, workforce

sustainability is more solid in wholesale jobs, which require more business-based training, than in

trucking jobs. Workforce sustainability, or the availability of younger workers to replace retiring

workers, is an issue of potential concern in the Joplin Region, which has an increasingly larger share

of residents ages 45 and older than the average U.S. community.

The potential for Underground Warehousing in the Joplin Region is supported by the region’s occupational

strengths in construction and excavation, as shown in the Manufacturing section. Because of the region’s



history in mining, the skills needed to develop such spaces that would vastly increase the region’s supply of

specialized warehousing are available. In addition, extensive support in engineering will be required for

feasibility studies and oversight if underground warehousing is deemed viable in the region.


Higher education institutions in the Joplin Region confer business degrees at a volume second only to

education degrees. Business degrees and certificates are important in Warehousing and Distribution due to

wholesaling processes, inventory management responsibilities, supply chain oversight, and even

transportation operation and repair requirements. The region has more Trucking and Rail Transportation-

related occupations as well as laborer occupations, which do not require advanced levels of training

beyond high school, in this target than national averages but fewer management and administrative

occupations than national averages. The following table provides information about degree completions

that support the Warehousing and Distribution target.

WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION-RELATED DEGREE COMPLETIONS, JOPLIN REGION, 2007–

2011


A brief list of programs supporting the Warehousing and Distribution target is as follows:

Crowder College

Truck Driving School—One of nine in the state of Missouri

Associate of Applied Science in automotive technology, automotive technology-parts management

option, and diesel technology

Associate of Applied Science in management with options in business management, industrial

management, and organization management

Certificates in automotive technology, engine performance specialty, automotive electrical systems

specialty, automotive brake systems specialty, suspension/steering systems specialty, business

management, collision repair technician, diesel technology, and office administration

Major Cert

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Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 259 525 1,953 - 416 - 3,153


Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians 369 133 - - - - 502

Transportation and Materials Moving 267 - - - - - 267

Grand Total 983 813 2,107 0 416 0 4,319




Minor in transportation logistics

Northeast Technology Center-Afton

Career major programs in automotive collision repair technology, automotive service technology,

and diesel and heavy equipment repair


Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Science in Technology,

certification, and minor in automotive service technology with various concentrations, such as diesel

and heavy equipment and collision repair and insurance management

Bachelor of Business Administration in management and marketing and Master of Business

Administration

Prosperity Over seven percent of the Joplin Region’s jobs are within the Warehousing and Distribution target.

6 Shown

by a location quotient of 1.56, the region has a higher concentration in related jobs than the nation. The

Warehousing and Distribution target provides high-wage opportunities, represented by the target average

annual wage of $50,761, which is more than $14,500 over the regional average annual wage ($36,174). Only

three subsectors in this target provide average wages lower than that of the region as a whole.

The Warehousing and Distribution target accounted for 12,702 jobs in 2011. Transportation

subsectors, not including rail transportation direct employment, which is suppressed, accounted for

7,760 jobs. Major employers include Ameri Cold Logistics, R & R Trucking, Bed Rock Inc., and Con-

Way Truckload.

6 The proportion of jobs attributed to the two-digit sectors Transportation and Warehousing and Wholesale Trade in the Competitive Snapshot is

different from the proportion of jobs represented by the Warehousing and Distribution target in this report. This variation is due to several

factors, including different data sources and different time periods. Non-Farm Employment by Business Sector in the Competitive Snapshot is

based on second quarter 2011 2-digit NAICS data, which was the most recent at the time of the report, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

and the U.S. Census Bureau, while this report compiles annual 2011 4-digit NAICS data from EMSI. Please see Appendix A for more details on

methodology and data sources.



WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYMENT DATA, JOPLIN REGION, 2011




Total, Warehousing and Distribution 12,702 1.56 593 $50,761 78.8% 46 0.4%

4841 General freight trucking 6,246 4.23 135 $56,348 111.7% -176 -2.7%

4842 Specialized freight trucking 1,236 2.75 91 $46,774 92.6% -27 -2.1%

4882 Support activities for rail transportation 59 2.45 2 $68,023 126.6% 29 96.7%

4884 Support activities for road transportation 63 0.63 12 $26,195 66.4% 3 5.0%

4885 Freight transportation arrangement 156 0.77 16 $45,087 67.9% 33 26.8%

4931 Warehousing & storage 972 1.36 19 $45,929 101.9% 410 73.0%

4231

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and

supplies merchant wholesalers 387 1.15 26 $44,634 75.5% -78 -16.8%

4232

Furniture and home furnishing merchant

wholesalers 68 0.61 6 $40,048 62.5% -82 -54.7%

4233

Lumber and other construction materials

merchant wholesalers 291 1.45 20 $45,509 74.8% 83 39.9%

4234

Professional and commercial equipment and

supplies merchant wholesalers 134 0.21 14 $54,081 53.6% -13 -8.8%

4235

Metal and mineral (except petroleum) merchant

wholesalers 82 0.69 8 $48,658 64.6% -45 -35.4%

4236

Electrical and electronic goods merchant

wholesalers 91 0.28 6 $53,669 60.1% -2 -2.2%

4237

Hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment

and supplies merchant wholesalers 97 0.42 11 $55,315 82.8% 12 14.1%

4238

Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant

wholesalers 488 0.76 54 $41,958 58.9% -39 -7.4%

4239 Misc. durable goods merchant wholesalers 645 1.50 40 $39,655 64.3% 249 62.9%

4241 Paper and paper product merchant wholesalers 32 0.24 7 $56,171 84.0% -173 -84.4%

4242

Drugs and druggists' sundries merchant

wholesalers 49 0.25 4 $80,335 71.4% -17 -25.8%

4243

Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant

wholesalers 30 0.18 1 $23,824 32.4% -40 -57.1%

4244

Grocery and related product merchant

wholesalers 555 0.74 31 $50,186 81.5% -16 -2.8%

4245 Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers 283 3.48 23 $36,253 63.6% -13 -4.4%

4246

Chemical and allied products merchant

wholesalers 40 0.32 8 $51,774 60.9% -25 -38.5%

4247

Petroleum and petroleum products merchant

wholesalers 103 1.06 18 $55,623 71.2% -12 -10.4%

4248

Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverage

merchant wholesalers 134 0.79 5 $35,570 51.7% 27 25.2%

4249

Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant

wholesalers 461 1.09 36 $42,867 77.2% -42 -8.3%

Industry

Code Industry Title

2011

Employment

Change,

2006-2011



Ten of the 24 included subsectors have location quotients greater than 1.00, demonstrating regional

strength. The highest LQs are seen in general freight trucking (4.23), farm product raw material

merchant wholesalers (3.48), specialized freight trucking (2.75), and support activities for rail

transportation (2.45). It is important to note that all four of these subsectors have higher average

wages than the region’s average annual wage.

The Warehousing and Distribution target has an overall average annual wage of $50,761, which is

significantly higher than the regional average, yet lower than the national average wage of these 24

target subsectors ($64,425). This lag behind national wages can be an obstacle in attracting talent.

There are, however, three core subsectors with regional wages that surpass the national wage—

warehousing and storage ($45,929), general freight trucking ($56,348), and support activities for rail

transportation ($68,023).

The target is growing. From 2006 to 2011, the target grew by 0.4 percent, slightly higher than the

0.32 percent job growth experienced regionwide. Among top areas of growth are support activities

for rail transportation (96.7 percent), warehousing and storage (73 percent), and miscellaneous

durable goods merchant wholesalers7 (62.9 percent). Subsectors that have experienced the greatest

levels of job losses are paper and paper product merchant wholesalers (-84.4 percent); apparel, piece

goods, and notions merchant wholesalers (-57.1 percent); and furniture and home furnishing

merchant wholesalers (-54.7 percent), areas that are not existing strengths, illustrated by their

already low location quotients.

A shift-share analysis illustrates that the Warehousing and Distribution target enjoys a strong

competitive advantage in the region. Twelve of the 24 subsectors displayed employment gains

between 2006 and 2011 that exceed national and sector-wide trends, including five of six Trucking

and Rail Transportation-specific subsectors.

Trucking has strong competitive advantage in the region. Both general and specialized freight

trucking displayed significant potential employment gains (243 and 55, respectively)

overshadowed by job losses occurring from national and sector-wide trends.

Wholesale trade subsectors with notable local competitive advantage are miscellaneous

durable goods merchant wholesalers (266 potential job gains due to local advantages) and

lumber and other construction materials merchant wholesalers (140). However, it is important

to note here that as shown in the People section, with exception of a few subsectors

mentioned earlier, the region is not yet strong in wholesale distribution and is an area for

continued development.

7 Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers distribute goods such as sporting equipment, toys, hobby products, jewelry goods and

supplies, and precious stones and metals.



Place

Transportation

One of the most important factors weighed by Warehousing and Distribution firms when choosing to

locate or grow at a site is the region’s proximity to major markets, customers, and suppliers and vendors.

Transportation infrastructure is also critical. The Joplin Region’s location in the center of the U.S. places it in

a prime spot for distribution. However, it is not as close to major markets as metros closer to the East

Coast.

Interstates and highways: The region’s location along Interstate 44 is important in the movement of

goods across the country. However, as referenced in the Competitive Snapshot, some portions of the

region lack four-lane access to I-44 or other major thoroughfares.

Quality road conditions make the movement of commerce around and through the region much more

efficient. According to the Reason Foundation’s most recent report on the performance of state highway

systems (September 2010), Missouri and Kansas are tied for the top place among U.S. states for rural

interstate pavement condition. In terms of overall highway and interstate condition, Kansas ranks 3rd in the

nation, Missouri ranks 8th

, and Oklahoma places 37th

. Kansas and Missouri also rate highly for rural highway

condition (7th

and 8th

place, respectively) while Oklahoma is towards the bottom at 44th

place.

Air: Surface access within one hour to a commercial airport is available in most points of the region. The

region is home to a commercial regional airport in Joplin and close to Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport

and Springfield-Branson National Airport. However, because the region is also within two hours to two

international commercial airports in Kansas City and Tulsa, the region’s direct access to air cargo capacity is

not competitive except in terms of trucking. The distance to Kansas City International Airport, which is

home to massive freight operations and multi-modal logistics infrastructure, is a potential barrier to

wholesale firms as well as some warehousing firms, who need closer access to these major assets.

Ports: The southwestern-most part of the Joplin Region is within one hour of Tulsa’s Port of Catoosa, the

most inland port in the U.S. and ice-free year-round. The Port of Catoosa is connected to foreign and

domestic ports by way of New Orleans and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. While this is a worthwhile asset

for the region, it is important to note that firms that need significant port access will likely locate closer to

the port.

Rail: The Joplin Region is poised to benefit from the Lazaro Cardenas-Kansas City corridor of trade

between the U.S. and Mexico. Increased cargo volume between the industrial hubs of Larazo Cardenas and

Kansas City will be traveling along the Kansas City Southern Railway. In addition to KCS, other Class I rail

carriers crossing the region are Union Pacific and BNSF. Regional and local rail service is provided by South

Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad and Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad Company.



REGIONAL FREIGHT RAIL NETWORK

Sources: Kansas Department of Transportation; Missouri Department of Transportation; Oklahoma Department of Transportation

Intermodal: Watco Transportation’s Pittsburg intermodal facility features warehousing space of 75,000

square feet, forklifts and overhead cranes, van and trailer receiving docks, and trucking services. The facility

is served by South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad carrier. The Kansas City Southern transload center in Joplin

offers the opportunity to increase Joplin’s position as a multimodal hub in the transfer of shipments from

rail to road and vice versa with its 210,000 square feet of inside storage, eight acres of outside storage, and

nine-car track capacity.

Property Taxes

Warehousing, distribution, and related activities are operations that require huge footprints. The region’s

offerings in terms of place are critical to the success of these target niches due to the sheer size of their

facilities and land and the amount of inventory they house. Property taxes are an important factor in this

regard. Property tax structures vary in the region due to differences among the states of Kansas, Missouri,

and Oklahoma.



STATE BUSINESS TAX CLIMATE, FY 2012

Source: The Tax Foundation

While Missouri and Oklahoma have highly competitive property tax rates for business, Kansas ranks among

the middle of states. However, Kansas saw its place on the Tax Foundation’s annual rankings of business

tax climate jump from 34th

to 28th

(index change from 4.53 to 4.97) between FY 2011 and 2012, indicating

some improvements in its property tax structure that could be favorable to business growth. In addition,

Kansas provides property tax exemptions for merchants’ and manufacturers’ inventory, as does Missouri.

Disaster Risk

Natural disaster risk is also an important factor for Warehousing and Distribution operations to weigh.

While not located in the heart “Tornado Alley,” the region is still at high risk for tornadoes, but low risk for

other disasters like floods, wildfires, and earthquakes. This creates a major challenge to the region in

marketing its assets and attempting to redirect potential firms’ perceptions that the probability of

contending with natural disaster is too high for them to seriously consider locating in the region. With the

national media attention highlighting the May 2011 tornado in the City of Joplin, this perception may be

heightened and should be proactively addressed within recruitment and retention efforts.

U.S. TORNADO RISK, 2012

Source: CoreLogic, “Tornado and Hail Risk Beyond Tornado Alley” (2012)

State Overall Rank

Property Tax

Index

Property Tax

Index Rank

Kansas 25 4.97 28

Missouri 15 6.05 7

Oklahoma 33 5.67 12



According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, high risk for tornadoes is expanding

beyond the Tornado Alley and Great Plains states, with at least 26 states under extreme tornado risk in

some parts of the state. While the increase in extreme weather across the U.S. is concerning, it does

indicate that the region’s higher risk position in this aspect may become less acute of a competitive

disadvantage.

Warehousing Facilities

The region offers a wide range of warehousing and site options for this target’s businesses, many of which

are covered in the Manufacturing target section of this Target Business Analysis.


Missouri

Brownfield Redevelopment Program: This incentive provides financial assistance with eligible

redevelopment projects pertaining to commercial and industrial sites that are contaminated with

hazardous substances and have been abandoned or underutilized for three years or more. Financial

assistance includes remediation tax credits of up to 100 percent of the cost of remediating the

project property, demolition tax credits for up to 100 percent of the cost of non-remediation

demolition costs that are a part of an approved redevelopment plan, job and investment tax credits

of $500 to $1,300 annually for each new job created, new capital investment tax credit of two

percent annually, and a 50 percent income tax exemption based on new jobs.

Kansas

Railroad Machinery and Equipment Tax Exemption: The qualified purchase or lease of railroad

machinery and equipment is eligible for property tax exemption. Railroad machinery and equipment

transported into Kansas for the intent of new business creation or the expansion of an existing

business is also exempt from property tax.



DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Overview The Diversified Professional Services target focuses on generating

additional jobs with competitive earning potential for a variety of skill

levels. This target ties directly into the Joplin Regional Partnership’s

existing shared services and back-office operations recruitment, as well

as the Missouri Partnership’s Financial and Professional Services and

Information Technology targets. While wages of some support jobs

are traditionally low, there are many opportunities to attract firms

offering medium- to higher-wage jobs across the board by offering

high-value services and a competitively-skilled workforce, fueled by

the region’s quality higher education institutions.

Diversified Professional Services are necessary elements of functional,

successful business operations, and support a broad range of enterprise types. They can involve

management, administration, marketing, technology development, and other components of business.

While not directly tied to any particular business model, they are positioned to flourish in environments

with large-scale professional, information, and technology-related operations. Such services can operate

effectively both in-house and as stand-alone service providers.

Justifications

While the target niches in the Diversified Professional Services are not existing strengths (like those

found in the other grouping sectors in this report), the region has experienced some recent

successes in building back office support and call centers assets. The Joplin Regional Partnership has

made it a priority to attract inbound customer service call centers in the area, rather than outbound

telemarketing operations which tend to pay lower wages. This positions the region well for the

emerging area of Shared Services and Reshoring.

The region has seen growth in professional and white-collar jobs, but more of a critical mass is

necessary to capture and retain recent graduates from higher education institutions and young

professionals seeking further career advancement.

Examples of major employers in the region include Scholastic, Inc., a global children’s publishing,

education, and media company that operates a customer call center in the region (500 employees);

Communication Solutions LLC, which provides business-to-consumer and business-to-business

teleservices (350 employees); and Aegis Communications Group, a customer management solutions

company headquartered in Joplin (250 employees).



These target niche areas share heavy information technology components, which tie in with

Missouri’s statewide target of Information Technology and Oklahoma’s key industries of Data

Centers and Technology. Making use of state-level resources will prove valuable.

This target has growth potential with the focus of reshoring—a term that refers to relocating

offshored operations back to the U.S. Identifying the needs of manufacturers and service providers

that need call centers and office support and ensuring the availability of trained workforce can

create another advantage for the region.

This target supports the progression of meeting the infrastructure needs of the region—Internet

access is not widely accessible at speeds that meet or exceed Federal Communications Commission

(FCC) standards. The Kansas Department of Commerce has launched the Connect Kansas initiative to

increase broadband access in rural communities within the state. In Missouri, current programs to

expand the availability of rural broadband in the state are focused on projects not located in

southwest Missouri.

Growing this target moves forward the region’s potential to increase the regional average annual

wage by adding more high-wage professional or higher-skilled support jobs.

Accessibility to multiple regional and international airports for business travel is an important factor

and supports the viability of this target.


One of the key factors in attracting a stronger workforce for occupations in Diversified Professional

Services is competitive wages. The region currently does not offer wages on par with national

averages, even when taking into account the cost of living difference between the Joplin Region and

the U.S. average.

The region currently has low location quotients in all computer and information systems related

occupations. At the same time, the region’s higher education institutions are conferring a relatively

low number of degrees in computer science, electrical engineering, and technology fields related to

these occupations. These are prime areas of opportunity due to their high wage potentials.

One resource accessible to the region is the Mid-America Technology Alliance, which is a consortium

of IT businesses, education providers, and economic and workforce developers in southwest

Missouri. The group’s goals are to attract highly skilled IT talent, educate students on IT career

pathways, and inform interested parties about the available technical, educational, and professional

resources in southwest Missouri.

Both universities in the region offer extensive marketing, communications, business, accounting, and

technology programs to prepare students for advancement in the target’s workforce.

As educational attainment grows in the region, this target will be critical in retaining an educated

workforce. The strategic emphasis of growing this target will be on business expansion and small

business and entrepreneur development.



This target’s specialized niches hold strong promise for exporting services from the region (through

Shared Services and Reshoring to global markets) and for linking in to support, consult, and grow

the major drivers of the regional economy like manufacturing, health care, and education (through

Corporate Support Services). Business retention and expansion efforts will play an important role in

connecting Diversified Professional Services firms to the markets and clients they need to reach to

make their businesses grow and build a stronger workforce in this target.

Target Profile

The niches in Diversified Professional Services focus on the need to establish more “white collar” and

professional jobs in the Joplin Region in order to capture the graduates of the region’s postsecondary

education institutions and to attract expatriates and new residents commanding wages higher than the

regional average. Because quality of life is important to this highly mobile segment of the workforce, the

ability to leverage the region’s low cost of living and existing residents’ attachment to the region is

important, while adding to the region’s amenities and cultural and entertainment assets will need to be

addressed. These target niches include a diverse swath of subsectors—web or graphic design, marketing,

public relations, legal, insurance, and consulting services.

In the Joplin region, Diversified Professional Service sectors are less concentrated than national averages.

The difficulty in finding basic “white collar” jobs affects the region’s ability to attract and retain college

graduates, and this target addresses the issue with its ability to supply entry-level jobs and advancement

opportunities for graduates of the area’s business and liberal arts programs. Another issue the region faces

is pervasively low wages across the region—diversifying the region’s economy to include Diversified

Professional Services, which traditionally provides higher wages for positions which require higher levels of

educational attainment, is a path toward increasing wages in the Joplin Region.

In addition to providing the region with high paying jobs, growth in this target supports the enhancement

of business expansion efforts and small business and entrepreneur development, the addition of quality of

life amenities that young professionals and other professional workers need for the region to compete with

nearby metro areas, and opportunities to increase the capacity of Joplin Regional Airport. Because highly-

skilled service- and knowledge-based workers are an especially mobile component of the workforce, it is

important to provide options for quality of life that satisfy this segment of the workforce, keeping in mind

that the family-friendly, suburban and rural environment is a desired choice for some. This target grouping

also supports the need to bolster technological infrastructure in the region—high-speed Internet is not

widely accessible at speeds that meet or exceed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards. By

making use of state-level resources for developing competitive high-technology infrastructure, the region

can explore opportunities to increase its concentration of computer and information systems firms and

jobs, which have very high wage potentials.

Diversified Professional Services has growth potential with the focus of Shared Services and Reshoring

(also called “ruralsourcing”), which refers to relocating offshored operations back to the U.S. in low-cost

markets, especially rural areas. Identifying the needs of manufacturers and other sectors that need call

centers and office support and ensuring the availability of trained workforce can create another advantage

for the region. Onshore Outsourcing’s delivery center in Joplin is an example of the current ruralsourcing



trend of training information technology services workers in cost-effective markets to provide customer

service and support to a national and global client base.

Corporate Support Services refers to professional fields that support a wide array of sectors. The strategic

focus for this niche should include the strong connection of existing service companies—such as

marketing, advertising, and public relations agencies; information technology; legal services; and

accounting services—with existing, large employers in the region (including major health care providers

and educational institutions) and encouraging large employers to use regional providers when possible. As

the region’s forefront employers work to develop their community presence, the potential benefit to

regional professional service providers is multiplied. The impact of gaining a Downstream Casino, Pittsburg

State University, or Freeman Health System account would be significant for regional service firms, and the

cumulative effect of major employers locally sourcing more professional service contracts would prevent

the leakage of expenditures to service providers outside the region.

People The region has numerous training opportunities for those interested in professional careers. However, as

noted during the public input process during the Competitive Snapshot phase, there are limited

employment opportunities for prospective workers with the college and graduate degrees who have

specific interests with in Diversified Professional Services. This target is a key opportunity for the attraction

and retention of not only higher wage jobs but also the attraction and retention of talent with greater

levels of educational attainment, particularly young professionals who are noted to often move to larger

nearby cities for employment options.

Wages are a major factor examined by prospective talent within this target. The 2011 regionwide

median annual wage is over $9,000 below that of the national median annual wage, it is important

to note that no occupation within the Diversified Professional Services target has a regional median

annual wage on par or greater than that of the nation—all are between 43.1 percent and 96.3

percent of national comparisons. Because the cost of living index from the Competitive Snapshot

shows that the cost of living in metro Joplin (Jasper and Newton counties only) is 90.8 percent of

that of the nation, it is important to take a look at this figure as a threshold for competitive wages. In

this case, only two occupations have median annual wages meet or exceed this threshold as

compared to the national median annual wage: real estate sales agents (96.3 percent) and

advertising sales agents (96.1 percent).

Although many professional occupations require education and training beyond a high school

diploma, only 50 percent of the examined occupations offer median wages greater than the

regionwide median annual wage of $27,893, covering only 9,993 of the over 31,500 jobs represented

by Diversified Professional Services-related occupations. This demonstrates that most of the

professional occupations concentrated in this target in the region currently do not offer competitive

opportunities for entry-level or advanced professionals with postsecondary degrees.



As shown in the occupation statistics tables located in Appendix B, only nine occupations of the 99

examined for which data are available are more concentrated in the region than national averages,

shown with location quotients of greater than 1.00.

These nine occupations are telemarketers (2.57); purchasing agents and buyers of farm

products (1.92); order clerks (1.31); payroll and timekeeping clerks (1.30); tellers (1.25);

bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (1.09); loan officers (1.09); chief executives

(1.04); and general office clerks (1.02).

Of these nine occupations with higher than average regional concentration, only three also provide

wages greater than the regional median annual wage of $27,893: chief executives ($64,709),

purchasing agents and buyers of farm products ($35,589), and loan officers ($42,266).

In terms of workforce sustainability, Diversified Professional Services is a prime area of growth

despite the looming retirement of Baby Boomer workers. Within these occupations, the percentage

of young professionals generally exceeds that of impending retirees. This creates an advantage for

the region if it can maintain, create, and attract more jobs within this target. Mentoring and

networking opportunities as well as advancement and professional development avenues are critical.


There are many high school level as well as adult education career training programs and courses to

prepare students for professional or support positions in the region. Below is a brief list of available

programs.

Franklin Technology Center

Business Office Administration

Graphic Design and Printing

Carthage Technical Center

Business Technology

Video Production

Computer Maintenance

Lamar R-1 Vo-Tech

Accounting

Computer Applications

Marketing Education

Ensuring a stronger pipeline from high school to college is imperative in relation to this target. Programs

such as Bright Futures, which seek to increase high school graduation rates, can be beneficial as they

continue to be replicated across the region. Exposing students to professional opportunities in the region

can provide a pathway to pursue higher education and seek available high-wage employment close to

home.



As noted earlier, business-focused degrees were second only to education degree categories in terms of

total degrees conferred in the seven-county Joplin Region. The following table provides information about

degree completions that support the Diversified Professional Services target.

DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES-RELATED DEGREE COMPLETIONS, JOPLIN REGION, 2007–

2011


While the region has a well-rounded array of business-related degrees from certificates to master degrees,

there is a dearth of bachelor and advanced degrees in computer and information sciences and pure

engineering fields. Additionally, the region has a lack of law-related degree options.

A brief list of programs supporting the Diversified Professional Services target is as follows:

Crowder College

Associate of Applied Science in accounting, finance, management, marketing, and office

administration

Certificates in business management and office administration

Labette Community College

Associate of Science in accounting, business administration, computer science, information systems

Associate of Applied Science in network administration

Certificates in information systems, computer science, and networking


Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in public relations

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Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 259 525 1,953 - 416 - 3,153

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs - 32 447 - 56 - 535


Engineering - 42 2 - - - 44

Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields 7 39 340 - 73 - 459

Legal Professions and Studies 2 2 3 - - - 7

Mathematics and Statistics - 4 46 32 - - 82

Grand Total 356 799 2,945 32 545 0 4,677



Bachelor of Science in computer information science with options in information technology,

information systems, computational mathematics, bioinformatics, and computer technology

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in accounting, finance and economics, general

business, human resource management, international business, management, and marketing

Master of Business Administration, an online program in conjunction with Northwest Missouri State

University

Minors in e-business, entrepreneurship, legal studies, and paralegal studies

Northeast Technology Center – Afton

Career major program in information technology and financial services and interactive

media/graphics and web design


Associate of Applied Science in business administration and engineering

Associate of Science in administrative office, computer information science, and management and

marketing with options in accounting and entrepreneurship

Certificates in accounting, administrative assistant, computer information systems, general office

operations, legal assistant, and management/marketing


Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology with concentration in digital and print media

Bachelor of Arts in mathematics

Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, computer information systems, economics,

finance, international business, and management and marketing

Bachelor of Fine Arts in art with concentrations in 2D, 3D, and commercial art

Bachelor of Science in actuarial sciences, communication with concentrations including advertising,

photojournalism, pre-engineering, public relations, and mathematics

Bachelor of Science in Technology in commercial graphics and graphic communications

management

Master of Arts in communication

Master of Business Administration with concentrations in accounting and international business

Master of Science in human resource development with concentrations in management and

consulting and program development and delivery, and mathematics



Minors in accounting, business administration, computing, communication, economics, fraud

examination, graphic design, graphic technologies, human resource development, internal auditing,

international business, marketing, mathematics, multimedia, and photography

Prosperity The Diversified Professional Services target, which has low concentration in the region as indicated by its

overall location quotient of 0.64, is a priority area because it is imperative for the Joplin Region to diversify,

sustain, and grow private professional service activity, which will provide higher wage opportunities for

regional workers who have college and graduate school training and are not interested in technical and

hands-on occupations. This is also an area of interest for young professionals who require professional jobs

with competitive wages and advancement opportunities. Diversified Professional Services jobs account for

seven percent of jobs in the region. Currently, however, while seven of the thirteen target subsectors pay

average annual wages higher than the regional average of $36,174, these higher paying subsectors cover

only 3,906 jobs, or 32 percent of jobs within the Diversified Professional Services target.

DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES EMPLOYMENT DATA, JOPLIN REGION, 2011



In 2011, core employment in Diversified Professional Services totaled 12,121. The sector has grown

between 2006 and 2011 by nearly 1,600 jobs, or 15.1 percent. Particular areas of growth are related

to both Corporate Support Services and Shared Services and Reshoring: business support services

(66 percent), accounting and bookkeeping services (35.7 percent), and specialized design services

(32.5 percent), which have pervasively low wages despite national wages, as well as management


Total, Diversified Professional Services 12,121 0.64 678 $38,873 56.0% 1,591 15.1%

5411 Legal services 613 0.42 133 $46,079 51.3% -28 -4.4%

5412 Accounting & bookkeeping services 1,322 0.94 91 $17,760 33.0% 348 35.7%

5413 Architectural & engineering services 638 0.40 65 $53,157 64.6% -95 -13.0%

5414 Specialized design services 163 0.43 8 $26,506 58.3% 40 32.5%

5415 Computer systems design & related services 267 0.14 33 $37,910 39.9% -31 -10.4%

5416 Management & technical consulting services 475 0.24 40 $42,912 58.1% 77 19.3%

5417 Scientific research & development services 60 0.09 -- $72,318 65.3% NA NA

5418 Advertising, PR, & related services 220 0.35 30 $55,719 75.7% -40 -15.4%

5419 Other professional & technical services 1,139 0.63 72 $24,719 54.9% 10 0.9%

5511 Management of companies & enterprises 1,633 0.80 59 $87,034 77.3% 145 9.7%

5611 Office administrative services 395 0.53 22 $31,329 56.7% -140 -26.2%

5613 Employment services 3,592 1.21 96 $31,994 92.2% 607 20.3%

5614 Business support services 1,604 1.40 29 $22,782 63.9% 638 66.0%

Industry

Code Industry Title

2011

Employment

Change,

2006-2011



and technical consulting services (19.3 percent) and management of companies and enterprises (9.7

percent), which pay significantly higher than the regional average wage.

Subsectors with existing high levels of employment include employment services (3,592),

management of companies and enterprises (1,633), business support services (1,604), accounting

and bookkeeping services (1,322), and other professional and technical services8 (1,139). Major

employers within the Corporate Support Services niche include NPC International, a restaurant

holding company and the largest Pizza Hut franchisee in the world, along with several smaller local

companies.

An important subcomponent of other professional and technical services is marketing

research and public opinion polling. According to ReferenceUSAGov, the region has 14 firms

that primarily identify within this specialty area. This presents the potential for these and new

firms to work with the Kansas Technology Center to expand technological capabilities

associated with publication printing. KTC, which strives to provide cutting-edge technology

training to its students as well as keep up with current research trends, has printing

equipment which allows for the printing of advertisements based on individual market data.

This is one example of how partnerships with research institutions can be used to drive

economic development in the region.

While the target as a whole has room to grow in order to reach the same concentration levels as the

nation, there are two subsectors that already have location quotients that represent existing regional

specialization: employment services (LQ=1.21) and business support services (1.40), supported by

companies such as Communication Solutions LLC, which provides business-to-consumer and

business-to-business teleservices, and several small niche businesses such as Home Health Care

Connection, which provides customized home health services.

However, these subsectors are among the lowest paying sectors in the target, and it is

important that the region diversify its availability of professional jobs. Employment services,

which offers average annual wages of $31,994 (lower than the regional average) accounts for

over 3,500 jobs in the region and consists of employment placement and temporary help

agencies.

The subsectors with the lowest regional concentrations all pay higher than the regional average

wage and are instrumental to growing the Corporate Support Services niche: scientific research and

development services (LQ=0.09, annual average wage=$72,318); computer systems design and

related services (0.14, $37,910); management and technical consulting services (0.24, $42,912); and

advertising, public relations, and related services (0.35, $55,719).

Although the cost of living in Metro Joplin is comparatively low—approximately 90 percent of that

of the nation, as noted in the Competitive Snapshot—wages within this target are well below 90

8 The other professional and technical services subsector encompasses marketing research and public opinion polling, photographic services,

translation and interpretation services, and veterinary services.



percent of the national counterparts, ranging from 33 percent of the comparable national average

wage (accounting and bookkeeping services) to 92.2 percent (employment services). All but one of

the subsectors offer wages below 78 percent of the national subsector wage.

Employment in Diversified Professional Services has declined when focusing on overall national and

sector-wide economic trends. However, the Joplin Region displayed local competitive advantages in

the following subsectors: employment services (1,187 potential job gains due to local advantages),

business support services (606), accounting and bookkeeping services (310), scientific research and

development services (56), and specialized design services (39). It is important to note, again, that

employment services includes employment placement and temporary help services, which are low-

paying fields and are not an area for continued focused growth.

Place

Business Parks

Johnson Business Park (Barton County): Located behind a Wal-Mart Supercenter at the intersection of

Interstate 49 and Highway 160, this business park is a total of 60 acres and has 100 adjoining acres

to its west. Railroad access, water, and sewer are available.

Crossroads Business and Distribution Park (Jasper County): This park is a mixed-use business park and

includes a 50,000 square-foot spec building. With all infrastructure in place, there are 600 available

acres and has access to Interstate 44, U.S. Highway 71, and Joplin Regional Airport. It is also 70 miles

from Springfield-Branson National Airport and 110 miles from Tulsa International Airport.


Missouri

Missouri Quality Jobs Program: To spur creation of quality jobs that offer average wages that equal

or exceed the county average wage, this program allows employers to keep the state withholding

tax on new jobs created for three to five years, depending on how much higher the average wages

are over the county average wage, and state tax credits. Small businesses and expanding businesses

in rural areas must create at least 20 new jobs within two years for eligibility, and technology

businesses must create at least ten new jobs within two years. High impact businesses must create at

least 100 new jobs within two years.

Kansas

Kansas High Performance Incentive Program: This program is for manufacturers, firms whose sales

are to Kansas manufacturers and/or out-of-state businesses or government agencies, headquarter

operations, or back-office operations of a national or multi-national corporation. To qualify for the

program’s income tax credit for eligible capital investment, sales tax exemption, training tax credit,

and priority consideration for other business assistance programs, firms must be a for-profit

company subject to state taxes, pay above-average wages, and make significant investment in

eligible employee training.



Oklahoma

Oklahoma 21st Century Quality Jobs: This tax credit is available to attract growth business sectors

with highly skilled knowledge-based workforce to Oklahoma. The program is for up to ten years for

qualifying firms. Firms must create a minimum of ten new direct jobs within a qualifying sector that

provide a basic health insurance plan within three years to qualify for all ten years of program

participation. These new jobs must pay an annual wage which equals or exceeds the lesser of 300

percent of the average county wage.

Insurance Premium Tax Credit: This tax credit is extended to qualified insurance companies that

locate or expand regional home offices in Oklahoma and maintain at least 200 employees.

Computer Services and Data Processing Tax Exemption: This is a sales tax exemption on machinery

and equipment for computer services and data processing firms.

Incubator Site Tenant Tax Exemption: This incentive program is offers an income tax exemption to

private sponsors, owners, and funders of Oklahoma business incubators for up to ten years on

income earned from rental fees, other income derived from services provided to tenants, and for

providing funding for an incubator site.

Computer Services/Data Processing/Telecommunications Equipment Tax Refund: Companies engaged

in computer services and data processing and research and development may be eligible for sales

tax refunds on the purchase of computers, data processing equipment, related peripherals, and

telecommunications services and equipment.

Research and Development New Jobs Credit: This tax credit intends to increase the number of full-

time employees engaged in computer services, data processing, or research and development. The

credit is available for up to eight years for computer services or data processing firms that have a

minimum of $100,000 in computer and data processing equipment and gain half of its revenues

from out-of-state buyers or consumers.

Small Business Resources

Parsons Business Incubator Center: This center offers several incentives to entrepreneurs and start-up

companies, including no rent for the first two months followed by a graduated rent schedule, low

interest loans for e-commerce based businesses for website development, free high speed, secure

wireless Internet access, business counseling and business plan development assistance, and more.

Space is available for office and manufacturing operations.

Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) at Missouri Southern State University:

The SBTDC provides small business owners and new entrepreneurs with start-up assistance, business

plan assistance, financial solutions workshops, management training, and marketing expertise. It also

provides one-on-one counseling.



Small Business Development Center at Pittsburg State University: This regional asset provides

programming for entrepreneurs that includes business planning, financial planning and

management, government contracting, marketing and research, succession planning, and more.

The Joseph Newman Business and Technology Innovation Center: Repurposing a historical building

sitting next door to the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, the chamber opened a highly lauded

small business development asset in the region. The business incubator and innovation center has

12 one-person cubicles, six officers, two manufacturing spaces, two laboratories, as well as

conference rooms. The presence of the Missouri Southern SBTDC in the Innovation Center is a major

resource that makes information more accessible to entrepreneurs.

Air Travel for Business

Access to reliable, affordable, and well-connected air transportation is critical for business travel, personal

travel, and tourism. The region is served by the Joplin Regional Airport, which currently has daily roundtrip

flights to Dallas Forth-Worth via American Airlines affiliate American Eagle. Between 2006, the year that

construction began on the new $15 million terminal at the Joplin Regional Airport, and 2011, Joplin’s

passenger volume has more than doubled. Leaders have asserted that added flight service to Chicago is in

the pipeline for the regional airport. Focus group participants expressed satisfaction in the Joplin Regional

Airport and the great improvements that have occurred since it gained American Airlines service and

connections to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Joplin benefits from close proximity to other regional airports as well as international airports, expanding

the region’s accessibility to nonstop flights as well as cargo options. The center of the region is 70 miles

from Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield, Missouri, and 76 miles from Northwest Arkansas

Regional Airport in Bentonville, Arkansas. The region is also 108 miles from Tulsa International Airport and

170 miles from Kansas City International Airport.

Technology Infrastructure

High-speed Internet is vital to the success of this target. Fifty-five percent of Missouri households, 40

percent of Kansas households, and 55 percent of Oklahoma households have Internet speeds that are

below minimum Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband speed standards. In terms of state

rankings, Missouri ranks 36th

in the nation, Kansas, 9th

, and Oklahoma, 40th

, in Internet speeds.

The Kansas Department of Commerce has launched the Connect Kansas initiative to increase broadband

access in rural communities within the state. In Missouri, two firms are working with the state to expand the

availability of rural broadband in the state: BlueBird Media and United Electric Cooperative; however,

neither are currently focused on projects in southwest Missouri. Recently, though, in April 2012, the Harry

S. Truman Coordinating Council, which consists of local representatives from Barton, Jasper, McDonald, and

Newton counties, met to discuss a strategic plan to expand and improve broadband coverage for the area.

Networking Organizations

Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network (YPN): This organization provides

Joplin community members between 21 and 40 with networking activities, volunteer efforts, and



opportunities to make connections with Joplin area commercial, municipal, charitable, and artistic

venues.

Mid-America Technology Alliance: This alliance joins business leaders, government officials,

educators, entrepreneurs, and area workforce professionals to voice what the southwest Missouri

region needs to develop and maintain a competitive position in the Information Technology market

and attract and retain an IT talent pipeline. The organization seeks to attract highly skilled IT talent,

educate students from kindergarten to college on IT career pathways, and inform individuals and

businesses of the available resources in the region.

Parsons Young Professionals: This organization is open to young professionals in Parsons as well as

other areas in southeast Kansas. After a period of inactivity, the organization has relaunched.

Pittsburg Area Young Professionals: This organization was launched in 2007 by the Pittsburg Area

Chamber of Commerce to engage the next generation of leaders by providing professional and civic

development opportunities. The organization now has 150 members and is open to anyone in the

Pittsburg 21 and over interested in increasing involvement in the community through networking,

social events, and community service.



OPPORTUNITY AREA

Tourism and Arts Overview The region regularly attracts tourists along the Historic Route 66 corridor and to the 12 casinos in Ottawa

County, Oklahoma. Enhancing the tourism amenities, including attractions, hotels, and restaurants, and arts

events and facilities for visitors will increase overall quality of life and activities for residents, especially in

the region’s historic downtowns. Continued growth in this area will ensure that the region remains exposed

to outsiders who can experience the region’s communities as places to live, work, and do business as well

as support needed enhancements to bolster the target business sectors, including the Diversified

Professional Services target. While this opportunity area of Tourism and Arts is not suitable as a stand-

alone target, it is an area supported by input process stakeholders, who repeatedly mentioned the

potential of tourism amenities and the need for more developed and connected cultural assets and

downtowns.

The region already boasts a number of public parks, trails, and recreational natural resources, including 23

public parks covering over 1,000 acres in the City of Joplin as well as the natural beauty and outdoor

activities of the Ozarks, plains, lakes, and rivers of the region. There are several existing annual events—

such as Boomtown Days, PhotoSpiva, and Revvin’ It Up on Route 66—that can be leveraged and expanded.

The region also has interesting historical markers that should be highlighted, including the Harry S. Truman

Birthplace State Historic Site in Barton County and the new Miners Hall Museum in Crawford County.

Downtown revitalization efforts are also a continued priority, especially with the successes in Joplin,

Carthage, Parsons, and other communities in the region. Attractive, historic downtowns will draw visitors

off of the highways and interstates into the region’s communities. The sheer number of national and

international visitors who traverse Route 66 each year poses an extraordinary opportunity for the small

towns and cities of the Joplin Region to market themselves to a broad range of audiences.

Agritourism is another area of growth potential in the region. Existing attractions include Berry King Farm

in Newton County and Hickory Creek Farms and Woof Farms in Crawford County.

An important strategic consideration for the region-at-large will be addressing tourism and arts as a region

rather than individual municipalities and counties. Just as the region coordinates economic development

across the state lines, it will be imperative for the region to market its tourism assets across state lines,

carving out its piece of the Route 66 Americana experience and employing tactics to entice travelers to get

off the highway and spend time and money in the region. For example, the use of historic preservation and

restoration can be a particularly beneficial tool. The recent renovation and re-opening of Boots Hotel in

Carthage is an example of how incentives and community development block grants can be utilized by

small business owners to make updates that positively affect the region, drawing in more visitors and

further establishing the region as an historic destination.



Additionally, stakeholder input participants voiced their desire for convention centers for increased

meeting and event space. The location of new convention center(s) with adjacent hotel rooms should be a

regional consideration, leveraging existing resources to create the necessary critical mass for such projects

to be successful.


Missouri

Film Production Tax Credit: This incentive program offers tax credits to qualified film production

companies for up to 35 percent of the amount spent in Missouri for production or production-

related activities when Missouri is selected as the location of a film project.

Kansas

Sales Tax Revenue (STAR) Bonds: These bonds are for Kansas municipalities to finance the

development of major commercial, entertainment, and tourism areas, and sales tax revenue

generated by the development will be used to pay off the bonds.

Tourism Marketing Grant: This program is for destination marketing organizations, tourism

communities, and travel industry businesses with first time marketing and promotion activities

intended to increase travel to tourism destinations while enhancing the image of Kansas. The grant

reimburses up to 40 percent of marketing expenses for a single project up to $3,500.

Agritourism Liability Insurance Credit: Registered agritourism operators may be eligible for a tax

credit equal to 20 percent of the cost of liability insurance.

Film Production Credit: This income tax credit is 30 percent of direct production expenses that are

directly attributable to film production in Kansas made in Kansas by eligible film production

companies.

Oklahoma

Income Tax Credit for Construction of Oklahoma Film/Music Facilities: Firms building music facilities

in Oklahoma are eligible for a ten percent state income tax credit on projects with minimum

expenditures of $100,000 and 25 percent for projects with minimum expenditures of $1 million.

Firms building film production facilities are eligible for a ten percent state income tax credit on

projects with minimum expenditures of $350,000 and 25 percent for projects with minimum

expenditures of $1 million.

Sales/Income Tax Credit for Tourism Attraction Projects: This incentive program offers tax credits

against either income tax or sales tax liability for eligible firms for projects that result in more tourists

to Oklahoma. To be eligible, firms must have approved costs of between $500,000 and $1 million.



Local and State Organizational Resources

Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau

Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Downtown Parsons Inc. Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau Kansas Historic Route 66 Association

Labette County Tourism

Main Street Joplin Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Miami Downtown Redevelopment Authority Newton County Tourism Council Oklahoma Route 66 Association Route 66 Association of Missouri Route 66 Chamber of Commerce Vision 20/20 Webb City Area Chamber of Commerce



CONCLUSION The Joplin Region has many historic strengths upon which to build and further innovate, but major gaps

exist in the economic structure for the kinds of jobs and talent that will be necessary to build wealth and

sustainable growth in the long-term. In addition, important resources like the region’s higher education

institutions must be further leveraged through close partnerships related to the target areas and overall

regional economic development in order to translate the development of technology and talent from the

schools to the workplace.

The activity of targeting businesses does not refer solely to traditional business recruitment. Developing

key strengths and leveraging opportunities for better competitive advantages requires a more holistic

economic development approach, which includes business recruitment as only one piece of the puzzle. The

region’s existing businesses—large and small, burgeoning entrepreneurs, and talent base must also be

seen as components of these proposed targets.

The nine target niches recommended in this document—Equipment and Components, Specialty Food

Production and Packaging, Advanced Materials and Composites, Renewable and Alternative Energy,

Trucking and Rail Transportation, Warehousing and Distribution, Underground Warehousing, Shared

Services and Reshoring, and Corporate Support Services—provide the means to diversify and strengthen

the Joplin Region’s economy and provide opportunities for a range of incomes and skill levels. The

opportunity area of Tourism and Arts poses promising opportunities to expand the region’s exposure to

visitors and to build more competitive quality of life assets for its residents. The long-term goals of

strategies for target business development are increased prosperity and opportunity for individuals and

constructing a robust, more diversified economy.

Implications from this document that will feed into the draft Regional Economic Development Strategy

include:

Developing a foundation of higher-paying, higher-skilled jobs in the specialized niches of

Manufacturing.

Leveraging the region’s state-of-the-art corporate and academic resources to become a leader in

key niches with cross-sector applications.

Defining more distinct levels of specialization in Warehousing and Distribution to provide added

capacity to strengthen the region’s competitiveness in this target.

Creating a vibrant, attractive range of Diversified Professional Services jobs for talented workers at

multiple skill and experience levels, and building more capacity in higher-paying technology fields in

order to attract graduates from the region’s college and universities.

Applying strategies such as business retention and expansion, talent attraction, workforce

development, intra-regional supplier networks, and global business development to continue to



grow these target niches and link them to supply chains in the region and export channels to other

markets.

Marketing tourism assets across state lines to draw travelers and other visitors from outside of the

region to explore and understand the quality assets available in the Joplin Region.

The key to translating the analysis outlined in this document into sustainable short-and long-term

prosperity in the Joplin Region will be the timely implementation of strategic action steps, which will

include developing essential partnerships with many of the local, regional, and state entities identified in

the first two phases of this process, the Competitive Snapshot and the Target Business Analysis. Based on

the quantitative input and stakeholder input to date, the detailed goals, objectives, and actions that will be

the key elements of advancing the region’s economy through the Joplin Regional Prosperity Initiative will

be identified in the next stage of the process, the draft Joplin Regional Economic Development Strategy.



APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY This appendix provides important background information on the geography examined, data sources

leveraged, and details on particular methodologies used in the research and data analysis of the Target

Business Analysis report.

GEOGRAPHY

The Joplin Region consists of the seven counties shown in the following map: Barton, Jasper, and Newton

in Missouri; Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette in Kansas; and Ottawa in Oklahoma. Unless otherwise noted,

the data reflects the entire seven-county region.

JOPLIN REGION GEOGRAPHY

DATA SOURCES

This Target Business Analysis heavily leverages data from Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI)

provided by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce. These proprietary data utilize nearly 90 data sources,

including federal, state, and private sources, to provide comprehensive local employment data, beneficial

to geographies such as the seven-county Joplin Region with high incidence of suppression from traditional



sources such as the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and the Occupational

Employment Statistics (OES) program from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and variation in data

reporting and methodology in sources such as the Census Bureau’s Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI).

These trusted sources, which Market Street usually employs for these analyses, are examples of sources

leveraged by EMSI. These data were used in employment and wage level tables as well as occupation

tables, which feature employment and wages for specific occupations, to provide a full regional view as

opposed to partially suppressed employment data available from QCEW and the metro-level data available

from OES. The analysis contained within this report examines 4-digit-level detail within the North American

Industrial Classification Systems (NAICS) and 6-digit-level detail within the Standard Occupational

Classification (SOC) system. The region’s identified targets are custom-defined based on the region’s

existing strengths and potential opportunities revealed by these analyses. It is important to note that

QCEW, QWI, and OES were utilized in the early decision-making stages of the Target Analysis process.

Other sources used in this analysis include CoreLogic, the National Center for Education Statistics,

ReferenceUSAGov, the State Business Finance and Incentives Resource Center, state departments of

transportation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

WAGE DISCREPANCIES

One nuance of this report is the inclusion of median annual wages in the occupational tables which appear

in the People segments and average annual wages in the employment tables which appear in the

Prosperity segments. In many cases, there will be apparent discrepancies between wages of occupations

within a target and the associated business sectors in the grouping. This is partially due to the use of

different sources to derive these estimates which measure wages differently, such as the inclusion of

benefits in EMSI employment wage estimates but not in the occupational wage estimates.

Another cause of the discrepancies is the wage structure within the region. Within each business sector

identified in this report, there are occupations which range from high-level management and supervisory

roles to lower-skilled laborers. Within the occupational tables, however, only the occupations most

pertinent to the skills required in the target are included. For example, in Manufacturing, while there are

chief executives who lead manufacturing firms, this occupation is not included in the analysis. Likewise,

while there are janitors who work for firms engaged in activities pertaining to Diversified Professional

Services, they are not included in the occupational analysis. Another factor is that the occupational tables

include every worker within a given occupation, without respect to the business sector in which an

individual worker is employed. For example, network and computer systems administrators may be

employed at any number of business types within the region—they are included in the Diversified

Professional Services occupational table because of the IT skill set needed to perform in that role.

It is also important to note the difference between median annual wages and average annual wages in

general. Median annual wages measures the midpoint of the frequency distribution of wage levels, while

average annual wages is the mean of wages—the midpoint of the range of wage levels without respect to

frequency. In most cases within this analysis, the median wage is lower, sometimes significantly, than the

average wage. This could indicate that while there are higher paying jobs in the area as captured by the



average, a significant portion of the applicable workers earn wages more closely aligned with the median

wage.

ANALYSIS TOOLS

The following methods—location quotient and shift-share analysis—have been used in this report.

Location Quotients

A location quotient (LQ) is a ratio representing the strength of a particular local business sector in relation

to the national average. Location quotients are used to measure the relative concentration of local

employment in a given business sector or occupation. The calculation for an LQ is as follows:

(Local Employment in Sector/Total Local Employment)

LQ =

(National Employment in Sector/Total National Employment)

When applied to business sector employment, LQs measure the ratio of a business sector’s share of total

local employment to that business sector’s share of total national employment. Thus, a business sector with

an LQ equal to 1.0 possesses exactly the same share of total local employment as that business sector’s

share of national employment.

If a location quotient is greater than 1.0, the region has a larger share of employment in that sector than

the nation. The higher the LQ, the more concentrated the level of local employment compared to its U.S.

equivalent. If a location quotient is less than 1.0, this indicates a smaller local share of employment than the

nation. For example, if the location quotient of manufacturing is 2.13 in the Joplin Region, it would indicate

that local employment is over two times as concentrated in the region as the national average. Conversely,

if the LQ were 0.5, that would indicate manufacturing employment is half as concentrated in the Joplin

Region as the national average.

Shift-Share Analysis

Shift-share analysis is technique that is used to decompose the employment growth in a given industry

sector over a specified period of time (in this report, 2006 to 2011) into three components: the national

growth share, the industrial mix share, and the competitive shift share.

The national growth share represents the portion of employment growth in a given industry that is

attributable to total national employment growth. Precisely, it is the number of jobs lost or gained in a

given sector if that sector had grown at the same rate as total national employment.

The industrial mix share represents that portion of employment growth in a given industry that is

attributable to changes in the overall industrial mix of the national economy. It measures the degree to

which national growth or decline in a specific industry translates into jobs gained or lost in that same

industry within the region. Specifically, it is the number of jobs lost or gained as a result of the deviation

between that industry’s national employment growth rate and the growth rate for all industries nationwide.



The competitive shift share represents the remaining portion of employment growth or decline; the

portion that is attributable to specific competitive advantages or disadvantages within a region that have

influenced the growth or decline of a given industry in the region. It is this component that receives the

most attention, as it estimates what portion of employment growth or decline is attributable to the unique

characteristics of the region’s economy and industry. Specifically, it is the number of jobs lost or gained as

a result of the deviation between an industry’s regional employment growth rate and that same industry’s

national employment growth rate.

These three components sum to equal the total change in employment in a given industry in a given

region between the two periods under study. Appendix B provides data tables that give detail on shift-

shares of each subsector by target grouping.



APPENDIX B: DATA TABLES

Manufacturing

Manufacturing Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011 ................................................................................................. 68

Manufacturing Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011, cont’d .................................................................................. 69




Manufacturing Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011, Specialty Food Production and Packaging .......... 73

Manufacturing Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011, Renewable and Alternative Energy ......................... 74

Manufacturing Shift-Share Analysis, 2006–2011 ..................................................................................................................... 75

Manufacturing Shift-Share Analysis, 2006–2011, cont’d ...................................................................................................... 76

Warehousing and Distribution

Warehousing and Distribution Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011 ................................................................. 77

Warehousing and Distribution Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011, cont’d .................................................. 78

Warehousing and Distribution Shift-Share Analysis, 2006–2011...................................................................................... 79

Diversified Professional Services

Diversified Professional Services Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011 .............................................................. 80

Diversified Professional Services Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011, cont’d ............................................... 81

Diversified Professional Services Occupation Statistics, Joplin Region, 2011, cont’d ............................................... 82

Diversified Professional Services Shift-Share Analysis, 2006–2011 .................................................................................. 83



MANUFACTURING OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011


SOC

Code Description 2011 Jobs

Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

Total 172,913 1.00 $27,893 $37,149

11-3051 Industrial production managers 201 1.35 $59,405 $83,179

11-9021 Construction managers 812 1.11 $28,642 $46,509

11-9041 Engineering managers 70 0.39 $75,941 $115,149

13-1021 Purchasing agents & buyers, farm products 25 1.92 $35,589 $54,766

13-1022 Wholesale & retail buyers, except farm products 127 0.81 $26,166 $44,720

15-1021 Computer programmers 129 0.30 $37,773 $64,334

15-1031 Computer software engineers, applications 97 0.17 $47,736 $82,618

15-1032 Computer software engineers, systems software 59 0.14 $48,755 $87,942

17-2011 Aerospace engineers <10 NA NA $90,813

17-2031 Biomedical engineers <10 NA NA $76,606

17-2041 Chemical engineers 18 0.62 $69,451 $86,507

17-2061 Computer hardware engineers 12 0.18 $74,547 $96,200

17-2071 Electrical engineers 64 0.42 $68,349 $80,891

17-2072 Electronics engineers, except computer 35 0.25 $57,782 $85,738

17-2081 Environmental engineers 17 0.33 $54,912 $76,045

17-2112 Industrial engineers 195 0.89 $61,173 $73,965

17-2131 Materials engineers <10 NA NA $81,370

17-2141 Mechanical engineers 135 0.56 $56,514 $75,275

17-2199 Engineers, all other 69 0.37 $54,122 $80,912

17-3012 Electrical & electronics drafters 18 0.57 $37,045 $50,669

17-3013 Mechanical drafters 61 0.82 $36,109 $47,216

17-3019 Drafters, all other 15 0.69 $34,757 $42,890

17-3021 Aerospace engineering & operations technicians <10 NA NA $56,326

17-3023 Electrical & electronic engineering technicians 64 0.41 $43,763 $53,934

17-3024 Electro-mechanical technicians <10 NA NA $47,674

17-3025 Environmental engineering technicians <10 NA NA $42,099

17-3026 Industrial engineering technicians 57 0.85 $32,989 $46,509

17-3027 Mechanical engineering technicians 16 0.37 $38,168 $48,672

17-3029 Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other 16 0.23 $41,954 $56,888

19-2031 Chemists 36 0.46 $45,698 $67,517

19-2032 Materials scientists <10 NA NA $78,749



MANUFACTURING OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011, CONT’D


SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

43-3061 Procurement clerks 51 0.65 $26,374 $35,984

43-5061 Production, planning, & expediting clerks 230 0.83 $33,696 $41,080

43-5111 Weighers, measurers, checkers, & samplers, recordkeeping 57 0.82 $28,434 $27,165

47-1011First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades &

extraction workers 630 0.82 $35,984 $50,003

47-2011 Boilermakers 17 0.73 $39,166 $54,995

47-2021 Brickmasons & blockmasons 154 1.14 $30,118 $41,642

47-2022 Stonemasons 22 0.97 $25,210 $35,838

47-2031 Carpenters 1,386 1.04 $26,333 $37,066

47-2071 Paving, surfacing, & tamping equipment operators 83 1.52 $21,819 $33,966

47-2072 Pile-driver operators <10 NA NA $43,971

47-2073 Operating engineers & other constr. equipment operators 450 1.17 $30,722 $39,229

47-2082 Tapers 28 0.91 $28,808 $40,414

47-2111 Electricians 496 0.77 $33,363 $45,053

47-2121 Glaziers 37 0.77 $28,662 $35,235

47-2142 Paperhangers <10 NA NA $35,734

47-2151 Pipelayers 48 0.79 $24,939 $34,195

47-2152 Plumbers, pipefitters, & steamfitters 415 0.86 $31,304 $44,262

47-2171 Reinforcing iron & rebar workers 16 0.73 $31,034 $39,187

47-2211 Sheet metal workers 190 1.24 $38,834 $40,248

47-2221 Structural iron & steel workers 73 1.10 $29,931 $43,410

47-3011Helpers, brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, & tile &

marble setters 23 0.62 $26,624 $27,872

47-3012 Helpers, carpenters 26 0.43 $21,674 $26,832

47-3013 Helpers, electricians 21 0.24 $21,757 $27,082

47-3014 Helpers, painters, paperhangers, plasterers, & stucco masons <10 NA NA $23,878

47-3015 Helpers, pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, & steamfitters 27 0.39 $25,792 $27,477

47-4099 Construction & related workers, all other 22 0.41 $27,456 $33,925

49-1011 First-line supervisors/mgrs of mechanics, installers, & repairers 459 1.06 $43,181 $57,512

49-2091 Avionics technicians <10 NA NA $50,523

49-2092 Electric motor, power tool, & related repairers 34 1.62 $30,742 $36,213

49-2093Electrical & electronics installers & repairers, transportation

equipment 12 0.87 $30,430 $45,760

49-2094Electrical & electronics repairers, commercial & industrial

equipment 69 0.96 $38,542 $50,398

49-2095 Electrical & electronics repairers, pwrhouse, substation & relay 16 0.68 $49,296 $62,067

49-2096 Electronic equipment installers & repairers, motor vehicles 11 0.64 NA $28,122

49-3011 Aircraft mechanics & service technicians 31 0.27 $36,317 $52,458

49-3021 Automotive body & related repairers 178 1.10 $33,155 $38,813

49-3022 Automotive glass installers & repairers 24 1.38 $25,688 $34,320

49-3023 Automotive service technicians & mechanics 1,018 1.31 $28,184 $37,731

49-3031 Bus & truck mechanics & diesel engine specialists 541 2.05 $32,240 $39,874





SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

49-3042 Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines 98 0.72 $32,302 $44,117

49-3052 Motorcycle mechanics 51 2.10 $23,109 $30,992

49-9011 Mechanical door repairers <10 NA NA $34,570

49-9012 Control & valve installers & repairers, except mechanical door 25 0.58 $34,133 $46,363

49-9021Heating, air conditioning, & refrigeration mechanics &

installers 220 0.69 $28,870 $40,019

49-9041 Industrial machinery mechanics 529 1.80 $34,528 $44,138

49-9042 Maintenance & repair workers, general 1,452 1.05 $26,624 $33,176

49-9043 Maintenance workers, machinery 113 1.62 $30,472 $37,835

49-9044 Millwrights 48 1.14 $39,957 $47,861

49-9051 Electrical power-line installers & repairers 250 2.18 $50,627 $56,014

49-9095 Manufactured building & mobile home installers 29 2.53 $22,672 $29,973

49-9098 Helpers--Installation, maintenance, & repair workers 111 0.81 $19,094 $24,461

49-9099 Installation, maintenance, & repair workers, all other 265 0.93 $20,322 $25,355

51-1011 First-line supervisors/mgrs of production & operating workers 1,052 1.66 $40,144 $50,939

51-2011 Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, & systems assemblers 18 0.46 $31,470 $45,531

51-2021 Coil winders, tapers, & finishers 29 1.62 $25,750 $27,997

51-2022 Electrical & electronic equipment assemblers 382 2.00 $25,376 $28,621

51-2023 Electromechanical equipment assemblers 41 0.74 $28,288 $30,659

51-2031 Engine & other machine assemblers 166 4.66 $36,254 $35,173

51-2041 Structural metal fabricators & fitters 176 1.79 $30,992 $34,528

51-2091 Fiberglass laminators & fabricators 83 3.57 $18,886 $28,829

51-2092 Team assemblers 2,810 2.73 $21,008 $27,019

51-2099 Assemblers & fabricators, all other 145 0.52 $20,696 $27,955

51-4011 Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal & plastic 282 2.09 $29,141 $34,528

51-4012 Numerical tool & process control programmers 22 1.43 $36,754 $45,906

51-4021Extruding & drawing machine setters, operators, & tenders,

metal & plastic180 2.22

$27,019 $31,138

51-4022 Forging machine setters, operators, & tenders, metal & plastic 41 1.66 $27,768 $32,531

51-4023 Rolling machine setters, operators, & tenders, metal & plastic 17 0.52 $25,875 $35,443

51-4031Cutting, punching, & press machine setters, operators, &

tenders, metal & plastic 390 1.88 $26,270 $29,162

51-4032Drilling & boring machine tool setters, operators, & tenders,

metal & plastic 39 1.43 $26,603 $31,554

51-4033Grinding, lapping, polishing, & buffing machine tool setters,

operators, & tenders, metal & plastic190 2.23

$33,301 $30,472

51-4034Lathe & turning machine tool setters, operators, & tenders,

metal & plastic 400 7.99 $29,806 $33,883

51-4035Milling & planing machine setters, operators, & tenders, metal

& plastic 41 1.72 $28,122 $34,882





SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

51-4041 Machinists 691 1.74 $29,390 $37,835

51-4061 Model makers, metal & plastic 11 1.09 $34,320 $40,227

51-4072Molding, coremaking, & casting machine setters, operators, &

tenders, metal & plastic 261 2.04 $25,397 $28,267

51-4081Multiple machine tool setters, operators, & tenders, metal &

plastic147 1.91

$26,458 $31,554

51-4111 Tool & die makers 100 1.34 $40,768 $46,862

51-4121 Welders, cutters, solderers, & brazers 820 2.09 $25,792 $35,298

51-4122Welding, soldering, & brazing machine setters, operators, &

tenders 184 4.00 $29,744 $33,571

51-4191Heat treating equipment setters, operators, & tenders, metal

& plastic85 4.08

$25,709 $32,698

51-4192 Lay-out workers, metal & plastic 16 1.80 $29,598 $37,128

51-4193Plating & coating machine setters, operators, & tenders, metal

& plastic 26 0.75 $28,080 $28,683

51-4194 Tool grinders, filers, & sharpeners 23 1.31 $26,187 $34,778

51-4199 Metal workers & plastic workers, all other 45 1.18 $28,995 $33,238

51-5011 Bindery workers 114 2.29 $23,670 $27,893

51-5012 Bookbinders 14 2.33 $24,586 $30,493

51-5022 Prepress technicians & workers 132 2.58 $27,955 $35,194

51-5023 Printing machine operators 589 3.40 $29,432 $32,240

51-6021 Pressers, textile, garment, & related materials 71 1.20 $16,682 $19,448

51-6062 Textile cutting machine setters, operators, & tenders 50 2.86 $18,533 $23,213

51-6091Extruding & forming machine setters, operators, & tenders,

synthetic & glass fibers 11 0.83 $22,173 $31,034

51-7011 Cabinetmakers & bench carpenters 296 2.73 $24,898 $30,264

51-7021 Furniture finishers 56 1.37 $21,466 $27,165

51-7031 Model makers, wood 42 13.80 $25,522 $26,832

51-7041 Sawing machine setters, operators, & tenders, wood 78 1.64 $19,989 $24,877

51-7042Woodworking machine setters, operators, & tenders, except

sawing 87 1.25 $24,170 $25,397

51-7099 Woodworkers, all other 51 1.77 $18,803 $22,734

51-9012Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, & still machine

setters, operators, & tenders 57 1.50 $28,309 $37,586

51-9021Crushing, grinding, & polishing machine setters, operators, &

tenders 92 2.37 $27,810 $31,554

51-9022 Grinding & polishing workers, hand 72 2.16 $22,360 $26,645

51-9023 Mixing & blending machine setters, operators, & tenders 450 3.33 $28,413 $31,866

51-9031 Cutters & trimmers, hand 63 3.21 $19,739 $24,274

51-9032 Cutting & slicing machine setters, operators, & tenders 140 2.01 $23,733 $29,453





SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

51-9041Extruding, forming, pressing, & compacting machine setters,

operators, & tenders 74 1.01 $26,499 $29,931

51-9051 Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, & kettle operators & tenders 17 0.72 $23,691 $32,448

51-9061 Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, & weighers 603 1.34 $29,453 $32,157

51-9111 Packaging & filling machine operators & tenders 979 2.88 $30,514 $25,106

51-9121Coating, painting, & spraying machine setters, operators, &

tenders178 1.74

$25,501 $28,995

51-9132 Photographic processing machine operators 63 1.16 $18,637 $23,046

51-9141 Semiconductor processors 27 0.96 $27,352 $30,638

51-9191 Cementing & gluing machine operators & tenders 32 1.94 $25,230 $29,578

51-9192Cleaning, washing, & metal pickling equipment operators &

tenders 33 1.71 $22,422 $24,773

51-9193 Cooling & freezing equipment operators & tenders 18 1.55 $25,043 $25,667

51-9194 Etchers & engravers 18 1.42 $21,174 $27,165

51-9195 Molders, shapers, & casters, except metal & plastic 63 1.33 $22,339 $29,016

51-9196 Paper goods machine setters, operators, & tenders 127 1.42 $33,093 $34,029

51-9198 Helpers--Production workers 640 1.46 $19,760 $22,381

51-9199 Production workers, all other 563 2.16 $22,235 $27,789

53-7011 Conveyor operators & tenders 145 3.88 $25,480 $28,974

53-7021 Crane & tower operators 26 0.64 $35,464 $44,096

53-7031 Dredge operators 16 6.27 $34,528 $33,738

53-7032 Excavating & loading machine & dragline operators 120 1.57 $25,792 $35,547

53-7051 Industrial truck & tractor operators 914 1.62 $27,706 $29,536

53-7062 Laborers & freight, stock, & material movers, hand 2,053 0.93 $20,738 $22,942

53-7063 Machine feeders & offbearers 168 1.42 $31,408 $26,291

53-7064 Packers & packagers, hand 875 1.22 $19,594 $19,448



MANUFACTURING OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011,

SPECIALTY FOOD PRODUCTION AND PACKAGING


Description 2011 Jobs

Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

Total 172,913 1.00 $27,893 $37,149

Purchasing agents & buyers, farm products 25 1.92 $35,589 $54,766

Agricultural engineers <10 NA NA $67,850

Animal scientists <10 NA NA $43,077

Food scientists & technologists 25 1.50 $34,258 $46,987

Soil & plant scientists 22 1.36 $40,664 $50,482

Agricultural & food science technicians 51 2.42 $28,413 $33,176

Supervisors, farming, fishing, & forestry workers 67 1.07 $32,053 $34,882

Agricultural inspectors 24 1.52 $30,638 $40,165

Animal breeders 63 3.00 $15,766 $17,243

Graders & sorters, agricultural products 28 0.58 $19,906 $18,574

Fishers & related fishing workers 91 1.06 $15,101 $16,182

Bakers 96 0.64 $21,424 $24,336

Butchers & meat cutters 71 0.57 $23,379 $29,037

Meat, poultry, & fish cutters & trimmers 330 1.99 $21,029 $22,318

Slaughterers & meat packers 218 2.29 $20,197 $23,608

Food & tobacco roasting, baking, & drying machine operators &

tenders 39 2.16 $23,941 $28,496

Food batchmakers 133 1.29 $22,963 $24,461

Food cooking machine operators & tenders 89 2.43 $19,573 $23,150

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, & weighers 603 1.34 $29,453 $32,157

Packaging & filling machine operators & tenders 979 2.88 $30,514 $25,106

Cooling & freezing equipment operators & tenders 18 1.55 $25,043 $25,667

Packers & packagers, hand 875 1.22 $19,594 $19,448



MANUFACTURING OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011,

RENEWABLE AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY


Description 2011 Jobs

Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

Total 172,913 1.00 $27,893 $37,149

Engineering managers 70 0.39 $75,941 $115,149

Purchasing agents & buyers, farm products 25 1.92 $35,589 $54,766

Agricultural engineers <10 NA NA $67,850

Chemical engineers 18 0.62 $69,451 $86,507

Environmental engineers 17 0.33 $54,912 $76,045

Materials engineers <10 NA NA $81,370

Nuclear engineers <10 NA NA $83,616

Petroleum engineers <10 NA NA $101,254

Environmental engineering technicians <10 NA NA $42,099

Food scientists & technologists 25 1.50 $34,258 $46,987

Soil & plant scientists 22 1.36 $40,664 $50,482

Biochemists & biophysicists <10 NA NA $77,979

Conservation scientists 14 0.76 $43,160 $56,514

Chemists 36 0.46 $45,698 $67,517

Materials scientists <10 NA NA $78,749

Environmental scientists & specialists, inc. health 61 0.67 $37,627 $58,365

Agricultural & food science technicians 51 2.42 $28,413 $33,176

Biological technicians 22 0.28 $26,915 $38,147

Chemical technicians 27 0.42 $31,304 $41,787

Environmental science & protection technicians, inc. health 14 0.39 $28,038 $38,605

Life, physical, & social science technicians, all other 18 0.27 $29,661 $40,664

Hazardous materials removal workers 29 0.65 $29,869 $36,837

Avionics technicians <10 NA NA $50,523

Millwrights 48 1.14 $39,957 $47,861

Electrical power-line installers & repairers 250 2.18 $50,627 $56,014

Coil winders, tapers, & finishers 29 1.62 $25,750 $27,997

Electromechanical equipment assemblers 41 0.74 $28,288 $30,659

Structural metal fabricators & fitters 176 1.79 $30,992 $34,528

Power plant operators 69 1.86 $42,474 $60,320

Stationary engineers & boiler operators 28 0.70 $36,774 $49,234

Water & liquid waste treatment plant & system operators 228 2.06 $30,555 $39,853

Chemical plant & system operators 53 1.20 $40,602 $54,059

Gas plant operators 10 0.58 $39,208 $53,040

Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, &

gaugers 26 0.47 $43,160 $53,602

Chemical equipment operators & tenders 65 1.41 $33,592 $45,115

Semiconductor processors 27 0.96 $27,352 $30,638



MANUFACTURING SHIFT-SHARE ANALYSIS, 2006–2011


Sector

National

Growth Effect

Industrial Mix

Effect

Competitive

Effect

Total, Manufacturing, Joplin Region -132 -4,196 -449

3111 Animal food mfg. -5 53 91

3112 Grain & oilseed milling -1 -5 25

3114 Fruit & vegetable preserving & specialty -3 0 92

3115 Dairy product mfg. -6 6 -343

3116 Animal slaughtering and processing -7 -39 86

3118 Bakeries and tortilla mfg. -1 6 -63

3212 Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product mfg. 0 -15 26

3219 Other wood product mfg. -3 -171 72

3231 Printing & related support activities -9 -351 -42

3241 Petroleum and coal products mfg. -2 -8 -48

3251 Basic chemical mfg. -1 -7 80

3253 Pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical mfg. -1 -14 -142

3254 Pharmaceutical and medicine mfg. 0 -1 -8

3255 Paint, coating, and adhesive mfg. 0 -12 70

3259 Other chemical product and preparation mfg. -2 -62 -33

3261 Plastics product mfg. -6 -217 166

3262 Rubber Product mfg. 0 -13 -20

3271 Clay product and refractory mfg. -1 -28 -5

3273 Cement & concrete product mfg. -2 -116 33

3274 Lime and gypsum product mfg. 0 -3 7

3279 Other nonmetallic mineral product mfg. -1 -19 -7

3312 Steel product mfg. from purchased steel -2 -20 -205

3313 Alumina and aluminum production and processing -1 -40 -90

3323 Architectural & structural metals mfg. -3 -88 263

3324 Boiler, tank, and shipping container mfg. -2 -19 190

3326 Spring and wire product mfg. -2 -102 51

3327 Machine shops & threaded product mfg. -5 -45 -192

3328 Coating, engraving, & heat treating metals -1 -15 -80

3329 Other fabricated metal product mfg. -4 -59 29

3331 Ag., construction, & mining machinery mfg. 0 0 -4

3332 Industrial machinery mfg. -1 -27 -1

3333 Commercial and service industry machinery mfg. -1 -21 44

3334

Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and commercial

refrigeration equipment mfg. -1 -39 -51

3335 Metalworking machinery mfg. -1 -18 15

3339 Other general purpose machinery mfg. -4 -86 -168

Shift Share



MANUFACTURING SHIFT-SHARE ANALYSIS, 2006–2011, CONT’D


Sector

National

Growth Effect

Industrial Mix

Effect

Competitive

Effect

3341 Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. -1 -15 40

3344 Semiconductor and other electronic component mfg. -4 -102 118

3345 Electronic instrument mfg. 0 -2 -13

3351 Electric lighting equipment mfg. -1 -38 94

3352 Household appliance mfg. -2 -75 24

3353 Electrical equipment mfg. -1 -13 -59

3359 Other electrical equipment and component mfg. -5 -88 307

3362 Motor vehicle body & trailer mfg. -2 -132 101

3363 Motor vehicle parts mfg. -6 -392 -393

3364 Aerospace product and parts mfg. -2 13 3

3366 Ship and boat building -2 -82 -65

3369 Other transportation equipment mfg. 0 -6 -5

3371 Household & institutional furniture mfg. -14 -1,040 -399

3372 Office furniture (including fixtures) mfg. -3 -171 -82

3379 Other furniture related product mfg. -8 -426 -7

3391 Medical equipment & supplies mfg. 0 2 11

3399 Other miscellaneous mfg. -2 -34 38

Shift Share



WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011


SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

Total 172,913 1.00 $27,893 $37,149

11-2022 Sales managers 170 0.43 $53,643 $85,384

11-3061 Purchasing managers 53 0.72 $61,776 $83,138

11-3071 Transportation, storage, and distribution managers 74 0.69 $54,350 $68,994

13-1021 Purchasing agents and buyers, farm products 25 1.92 $35,589 $54,766

13-1022 Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products 127 0.81 $26,166 $44,720

13-1023 Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products 215 0.68 $34,008 $51,979

13-1081 Logisticians 47 0.44 $45,510 $66,331

41-1012 First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers 830 0.79 $31,554 $48,506

41-2022 Parts salespersons 281 1.31 $22,048 $28,683

41-4011Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical

and scientific products 221 0.52 $49,816 $69,805

41-4012Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except

technical and scientific products 1,295 0.87 $35,984 $50,939

41-9031 Sales engineers 16 0.22 $45,864 $80,746

43-4051 Customer service representatives 1,217 0.54 $23,296 $30,222

43-4141 New accounts clerks 66 0.84 $25,168 $30,659

43-4151 Order clerks 277 1.31 $20,758 $28,330

43-5011 Cargo and freight agents 72 0.85 $33,384 $36,899

43-5071 Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks 537 0.78 $26,021 $28,226

43-5081 Stock clerks and order fillers 1,488 0.80 $19,531 $20,987

43-5111 Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping 57 0.82 $28,434 $27,165

49-1011First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and

repairers 459 1.06 $43,181 $57,512

49-3021 Automotive body and related repairers 178 1.10 $33,155 $38,813

49-3022 Automotive glass installers and repairers 24 1.38 $25,688 $34,320

49-3023 Automotive service technicians and mechanics 1,018 1.31 $28,184 $37,731

49-3031 Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists 541 2.05 $32,240 $39,874

49-3043 Rail car repairers 39 1.64 $34,570 $45,822

49-3093 Tire repairers and changers 144 1.43 $21,986 $24,544



WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011, CONT’D


SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

53-1021First-line supervisors/managers of helpers, laborers, and

material movers, hand 153 0.88 $32,635 $43,056

53-1031First-line supervisors/managers of transportation and material-

moving machine and vehicle operators 231 1.14 $37,440 $51,875

53-3031 Driver/sales workers 648 1.51 $19,448 $24,669

53-3032 Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer 7,145 3.53 $45,864 $37,336

53-3033 Truck drivers, light or delivery services 1,015 0.95 $24,773 $28,538

53-4019 Locomotive engineers and operators 109 2.15 $56,306 $46,301

53-4021 Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators 82 3.31 $52,374 $47,986

53-4031 Railroad conductors and yardmasters 85 2.03 $56,763 $53,955

53-6051 Transportation inspectors 32 1.20 $59,405 $54,954

53-6099 Transportation workers, all other 12 0.29 $25,979 $31,803

53-7011 Conveyor operators and tenders 145 3.88 $25,480 $28,974

53-7051 Industrial truck and tractor operators 914 1.62 $27,706 $29,536

53-7061 Cleaners of vehicles and equipment 308 0.89 $19,198 $21,258

53-7062 Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 2,053 0.93 $20,738 $22,942

53-7063 Machine feeders and offbearers 168 1.42 $31,408 $26,291

53-7064 Packers and packagers, hand 875 1.22 $19,594 $19,448

53-7199 Material moving workers, all other 15 0.45 $27,123 $31,262



WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION SHIFT-SHARE ANALYSIS, 2006–2011


Sector

National

Growth Effect

Industrial Mix

Effect

Competitive

Effect

Total, Warehousing and Distribution, Joplin Region -62 -751 460

4841 General freight trucking -33 -386 243

4842 Specialized freight trucking -6 -76 55

4882 Support Activities for rail transportation 0 1 28

4884 Support Activities for road transportation 0 3 0

4885 Freight transportation arrangement -1 1 32

4931 Warehousing & storage 0 -1 11

4231

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies

merchant wholesalers -2 -40 -35

4232 Furniture and home furnishing merchant wholesalers -1 -28 -53

4233

Lumber and other construction materials merchant

wholesalers -1 -56 140

4234

Professional and commercial equipment and supplies

merchant wholesalers -1 -7 -5

4235 Metal and mineral (except petroleum) merchant wholesalers -1 -13 -31

4236 Electrical and electronic goods merchant wholesalers 0 -8 7

4237

Hardware, and plumbing and heating equipment and

supplies merchant wholesalers 0 -10 22

4238 Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers -3 -43 7

4239 Misc. durable goods merchant wholesalers -2 -14 266

4241 Paper and paper product merchant wholesalers -1 -33 -139

4242 Drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers 0 -7 -10

4243 Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers 0 -5 -35

4244 Grocery and related product merchant wholesalers -3 9 -22

4245 Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers -2 13 -24

4246 Chemical and allied products merchant wholesalers 0 -5 -20

4247 Petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers -1 -8 -3

4248

Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverage merchant

wholesalers -1 10 17

4249 Misc. nondurable goods merchant wholesalers -3 -48 9

Shift Share



DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011


SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

41-3011 Advertising sales agents 136 0.79 $40,997 $42,682

41-3021 Insurance sales agents 562 0.72 $25,938 $33,800

41-3031 Securities, commodities, & financial svcs sales agents 615 0.55 $23,026 $39,000

41-9021 Real estate brokers 462 0.57 $15,350 $17,410

41-9022 Real estate sales agents 1,499 0.58 $15,912 $16,515

41-9041 Telemarketers 782 2.57 $17,950 $21,528

43-1011First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative

support workers 1,101 0.75 $30,451 $45,344

43-3011 Bill and account collectors 339 0.81 $22,526 $30,264

43-3021 Billing and posting clerks and machine operators 445 0.85 $24,107 $31,658

43-3031 Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 2,406 1.09 $23,213 $32,178

43-3051 Payroll and timekeeping clerks 252 1.30 $25,730 $35,485

43-3071 Tellers 704 1.25 $19,053 $24,003

43-4011 Brokerage clerks 32 0.52 $27,352 $39,395

43-4041 Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks 22 0.38 $24,794 $32,261

43-4051 Customer service representatives 1,217 0.54 $23,296 $30,222

43-4131 Loan interviewers and clerks 161 0.80 $26,333 $33,966

43-4141 New accounts clerks 66 0.84 $25,168 $30,659

43-4151 Order clerks 277 1.31 $20,758 $28,330

43-4161 Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping 138 0.85 $26,998 $36,088

43-4171 Receptionists and information clerks 802 0.72 $19,656 $24,898

43-4199 Information and record clerks, all other 108 0.51 $25,626 $35,131

43-6011 Executive secretaries and administrative assistants 757 0.51 $27,706 $39,832

43-6012 Legal secretaries 136 0.56 $26,478 $41,330

43-6014 Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive 1,850 0.94 $20,571 $29,037

43-9011 Computer operators 67 0.65 $21,029 $34,424

43-9021 Data entry keyers 189 0.65 $21,174 $25,626

43-9022 Word processors and typists 56 0.39 $19,989 $29,910

43-9031 Desktop publishers 25 0.83 $22,277 $31,699

43-9041 Insurance claims and policy processing clerks 117 0.47 $26,416 $34,362

43-9061 Office clerks, general 3,014 1.02 $20,738 $25,771

43-9199 Office and administrative support workers, all other 169 0.48 $21,133 $28,205



DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011, CONT’D


SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

Total 172,913 1.00 $27,893 $37,149

11-1011 Chief executives 646 1.04 $64,709 $89,606

11-1021 General and operations managers 1,494 0.86 $59,883 $88,088

11-2011 Advertising and promotions managers 26 0.46 $45,510 $65,395

11-2021 Marketing managers 70 0.34 $62,650 $95,222

11-2022 Sales managers 170 0.43 $53,643 $85,384

11-2031 Public relations managers 31 0.48 $52,125 $77,813

11-3011 Administrative services managers 117 0.46 $48,630 $72,717

11-3021 Computer and information systems managers 100 0.31 $63,003 $105,227

11-3031 Financial managers 465 0.62 $50,710 $76,170

11-3041 Compensation and benefits managers 19 0.51 $56,430 $84,386

11-3042 Training and development managers 16 0.53 $61,131 $85,384

11-3049 Human resources managers, all other 37 0.57 $66,227 $93,850

11-9041 Engineering managers 70 0.39 $75,941 $115,149

11-9199 Managers, all other 1,560 0.73 $22,069 $38,085

13-1021 Purchasing agents and buyers, farm products 25 1.92 $35,589 $54,766

13-1022 Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products 127 0.81 $26,166 $44,720

13-1023 Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products 215 0.68 $34,008 $51,979

13-1031 Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators 119 0.40 $39,166 $54,454

13-1032 Insurance appraisers, auto damage <10 NA NA $52,790

13-1041Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health

and safety, and transportation 124 0.44 $31,699 $47,362

13-1051 Cost estimators 155 0.77 $42,786 $55,848

13-1071 Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists 188 0.85 $29,120 $44,928

13-1072 Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists 90 0.72 $33,696 $52,790

13-1073 Training and development specialists 148 0.66 $31,221 $49,587

13-1079Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all

other 163 0.68 $34,195 $53,227

13-1081 Logisticians 47 0.44 $45,510 $66,331

13-1111 Management analysts 331 0.28 $25,646 $52,728

13-1199 Business operation specialists, all other 361 0.33 $37,877 $58,469

13-2011 Accountants and auditors 1,161 0.76 $30,722 $49,962

13-2021 Appraisers and assessors of real estate 238 0.73 $19,074 $21,403

13-2031 Budget analysts 29 0.45 $40,310 $64,854

13-2041 Credit analysts 36 0.53 $39,416 $56,701

13-2051 Financial analysts 189 0.39 $22,069 $51,147

13-2052 Personal financial advisors 787 0.59 $19,094 $34,091

13-2053 Insurance underwriters 41 0.40 $37,794 $55,786

13-2061 Financial examiners 13 0.47 $49,920 $71,136



DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OCCUPATION STATISTICS, JOPLIN REGION, 2011, CONT’D


SOC


Location

Quotient

2011

Median

Annual

Wage

2011 U.S.

Median

Annual

Wage

13-2071 Loan counselors 34 0.91 $27,622 $38,251

13-2072 Loan officers 402 1.09 $42,266 $51,667

13-2081 Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents 44 0.58 $27,602 $46,342

13-2082 Tax preparers 142 0.96 $15,974 $21,341

13-2099 Financial specialists, all other 42 0.26 $37,814 $56,618

15-1011 Computer and information scientists, research <10 NA NA $92,706

15-1021 Computer programmers 129 0.30 $37,773 $64,334

15-1031 Computer software engineers, applications 97 0.17 $47,736 $82,618

15-1032 Computer software engineers, systems software 59 0.14 $48,755 $87,942

15-1041 Computer support specialists 291 0.51 $30,826 $43,472

15-1051 Computer systems analysts 167 0.28 $40,227 $70,242

15-1061 Database administrators 36 0.32 $38,064 $68,994

15-1071 Network and computer systems administrators 173 0.48 $45,698 $65,478

15-1081 Network systems and data communications analysts 142 0.35 $31,762 $56,701

15-1099 Computer specialists, all other 43 0.19 $40,373 $71,739

15-2011 Actuaries <10 NA NA $78,894

15-2021 Mathematicians <10 NA NA $82,992

15-2031 Operations research analysts <10 NA NA $68,765

15-2041 Statisticians <10 NA NA $65,520

15-2091 Mathematical technicians <10 NA NA $37,690

15-2099 Mathematical scientists, all other <10 NA NA $36,254

17-1011 Architects, except landscape and naval 58 0.35 $38,626 $57,325

17-2061 Computer hardware engineers 12 0.18 $74,547 $96,200

17-3011 Architectural and civil drafters 63 0.60 $32,885 $44,970

19-3011 Economists <10 NA NA $74,048

19-3021 Market research analysts 122 0.40 $34,778 $54,808

19-3022 Survey researchers 20 0.58 $17,430 $34,008

23-1011 Lawyers 343 0.40 $40,872 $90,750

23-2011 Paralegals and legal assistants 136 0.52 $28,579 $47,341

23-2092 Law clerks 24 0.57 $19,032 $41,683

23-2093 Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers 84 0.76 $21,403 $36,379

23-2099 Legal support workers, all other 42 0.62 $23,317 $44,242

27-1011 Art directors 108 0.55 $18,117 $26,853

27-1014 Multi-media artists and animators 100 0.55 $16,182 $24,482

27-1021 Commercial and industrial designers 36 0.66 $30,950 $44,928

27-1024 Graphic designers 204 0.53 $24,814 $35,589

27-1029 Designers, all other 14 0.71 $23,046 $35,131

27-2012 Producers and directors 48 0.42 $26,957 $52,811

27-3031 Public relations specialists 213 0.70 $35,214 $47,445

27-3041 Editors 73 0.48 $23,275 $40,144

27-3042 Technical writers 16 0.31 $30,846 $58,885



DIVERSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SHIFT-SHARE ANALYSIS, 2006–2011


Sector

National

Growth Effect

Industrial Mix

Effect

Competitive

Effect

Total, Warehousing and Distribution, Joplin Region -55 -135 1,776

5411 Legal services -3 -11 -13

5412 Accounting & bookkeeping services -5 42 310

5413 Architectural & engineering services -4 -37 -54

5414 Specialized design services -1 1 39

5415 Computer systems design & related services -2 46 -76

5416 Management & technical consulting services -2 100 -20

5417 Scientific research & development services 0 0 56

5418 Advertising, PR, & related services -1 -7 -32

5419 Other professional & technical services -6 69 -53

5511 Management of companies & enterprises -8 141 12

5611 Office administrative services -3 49 -186

5613 Employment services -15 -565 1187

5614 Business support services -5 37 606

Shift Share

target business analysis - workforce investment board

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